


Shingeki no Pacific Rim

by seekingtomorrow



Category: Pacific Rim (2013), Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Crossover, F/F, F/M, M/M, Mecha, it's basically pacific rim but with snk characters, there are no pacific rim characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-10
Updated: 2014-01-05
Packaged: 2017-12-23 00:33:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 30,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/919883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seekingtomorrow/pseuds/seekingtomorrow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When humanity is threatened by Kaijus—nightmarish beasts that arose from the sea—only the Yeager pilots stand a chance.  One of these pilots, a prodigy named Mikasa Ackerman, finds her skills put to the test as she must rejoin the program to fight for humankind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This will not follow the movie's plotline exactly. There will be some changes made.

I was on the cusp of my ninth birthday when the first Kaiju rose from the sea. Scaly and grotesque, it was something out of a nightmare. The military took to calling it Gutdirge, but everyone just knew it as "the First".

For the next five days, it rained blood—both red and blue—before we could finally get it to die. In those five days, it had killed thousands of people, destroyed numerous cities, and changed billions of lives.

The next Kaiju appeared barely a year after. I still remember the bitter tang of blood in my mouth as I bit down on my tongue to prevent from screaming as I took shelter in the basement with my parents.

Eventually, all of humanity realized that the only way to put an end to these monsters was to work together. We joined forces, sharing what knowledge we could. At first, we built walls—Maria, Rose, and Sina—to protect ourselves, foolishly thinking that it could truly stop the Kaiju. It took a category 2 Kaiju just over an hour to smash through the first of the walls. By this point, humanity had given up hope. However, it was in what we thought was our final hour that one man was able to devise a solution. That man was Grisha Yeager.

And so, the Yeager Project was born.

The Yeager Project came from the idea that to fight monsters, we had to create monsters of our own. Since replicating Kaijus were strictly out of the question, as well as beyond our abilities, Grisha believed that we could build gargantuan humanoid machines piloted by humans. These machines were named after their creator.

Unfortunately, due to the sheer size of the Yeagers, it proved impossible for only one person to pilot it. Therefore, a two pilot system was created, harnessing a type of technology that would allow the pilots to form a mental link in order to control the Yeagers in sync. This technique meant that only pilots with "drift compatibility" could successfully pilot a Yeager. And since the success of a Yeager was dependent on the skills of the pilots, Yeager pilots were given the celebrity treatment.

But that's not why I joined.

When I was twelve, I actually managed to meet Grisha Yeager. As luck would have it, my own father's skills with machinery landed him as one of the top engineers alongside Grisha himself. Upon finding out that Grisha had a son about the same age as me, he eagerly brought me to work with him every day until Grisha broke down and brought his son too.

His name was Eren.

At first, I never thought much of Eren other than the fact that he was probably a bit of an idiot. Like his father, he was passionate about the victory of humankind, but unlike his father, he seemed completely unaware of the measures taken to ensure said victory. I still remember the numerous headaches I had in his presence.

However, that all changed when Eren and I were kidnapped.

In Shiganshina, the district where I was born, there was a religious group that had formed after the second Kaiju attack. It was their belief that the Kaijus were sent from our gods to punish humanity for the atrocities we had committed. More than once, they'd vehemently protested the Yeager Project and everything that Grisha had stood for. While we'd always acknowledged their presence, we'd never realized just how far they were willing to go in order to stop Grisha.

Eren and I were trussed up, like a pair of pigs for slaughter, and brought to an empty warehouse in what I assume what a cargo bay. I was absolutely terrified. It was strange, really. I'd once seen a Kaiju up close, but it was nothing compared to the fear I was experiencing in that very moment. It was as if human cruelty was far more frightening than monsters.

I didn't even think once about fighting back. Eren, however, did. The moment we were left alone with only one guard for company, Eren lunged at him and somehow managed to kill the man by slitting his throat. However, another guard entered the room and upon seeing what he'd done, began to strangle Eren. I was motionless, too stiff with shock to move.

"Fight! If you win, you live."

Those were the words that Eren had managed to choke out and the words that have stayed with me all this time. It wasn't a noble phrase, telling me to escape while Eren sacrificed his life. It was a war cry.

At first, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I was holding the knife in my hands, listening to the man attempting to kill a child, but I couldn't do it.

But, then I remembered.

This wasn't something I was unfamiliar with. I'd seen death. I'd looked death right in the eyes as it crushed the city to pieces. I wasn't afraid of death, but it should have every reason to fear me.

When Grisha and his search party finally found the warehouse, they came across an interesting, if horrid sight. Two children covered in blood, surrounded by the corpses of four people robed in red.

After I reiterated to my father the words that Eren had told me, he never brought me to work again and I didn't see Eren for a long time.

It was four years after this incident that I decided to enlist in the Yeager Program, lying about my age and telling the officer that I was nineteen.s

I met my co-pilot, a man named Levi, three months after that.


	2. Genesis Titan

Mikasa woke up to the sound of sirens. Groaning slightly as she rolled over, she saw the flashing red lights along with the words "CATEGORY 3" glaring at her. Immediately, she sprung from her bed and ran over to the door separating her room from her partner's.

"Levi!" She called, banging on the metal. "Wake up! We've got to suit up!"

The door opened, revealing a sleepy and shirtless Levi. "Why are you yelling so damn early?"

"We have to go," she repeated.

"And no good morning kiss?"

Mikasa pointed at the bright warning, the hologram burning her eyes if she stared for too long.

Levi's eyes sharpened. He pulled a shirt from his chair and yanked it over his head. "Let's suit up."

When the pair was finally ready the go, they departed their quarters, briskly walking down the twisting halls and into the room where they would don their suits. On their way, they passed by the enormous hangar where the head of their Yeager resided, staring down at its occupants like the vast guardian it was.

"You ready for this?" Mikasa yelled over the din. Workers bustled around her, fixing into place the scuttling Spinal Clamp of her chipped white suit.

"I always am," replied Levi smoothly. His helmet was clipped into place, the Relay Gel coming down to reveal his face. The gel would allow him to relay impulses to Mikasa and vice versa.

"Alright, pilots." Their commander, Erwin Smith, greeted the two. Mikasa and Levi snapped to attention the moment they heard his voice ooze through the speakers in the Yeager. "We have a Kaiju headed straight for Trost."

"It's always Trost," sighed Levi.

"Trost is heavily populated," said Mikasa. "It's also closest to the breach. The Kaiju are generally going to head in the direction of that area."

"Fair enough," said Levi.

"Pilots of Genesis Titan?" A timid-sounding voice came over the intercom.

"Morning Armin." Mikasa greeted their technician.

"So, what kind of monster are we dealing with today?" Asked Levi.

"Category three," said Armin. "We're calling it 'Bonecleaver'. Pilots, be on your guard. We've only dealt with category three's a few times."

"It shouldn't be difficult," said Mikasa. "We've specialize in cutting flesh." She rolled her shoulders, enjoying the feeling of stretching her muscles through the thick material of the suit.

"You'd best be on your guard, Ackerman," warned Erwin. "Arrogance will do you more harm than good out in the field."

"Pilots, get ready for the drop," said Armin.

Mikasa and Levi braced themselves. Within seconds, they experienced a familiar swooping sensation through their stomachs as the head of their Yeager dropped down a shaft. They kept their muscles loose as the head made contact with the neck and attached itself firmly.

One of the last remaining Mark IV's, Genesis Titan had adopted a more streamlined look and a slimmer design, losing the bulkiness of previous models. The machine was a rusted blue all over; its only other colour was a bright red that fell down in stripes alongside its legs and arms. In its chest glowed a bright nuclear reactor outfitted with a Plasma Launcher—ideal for attacking Kaiju that would otherwise have their hands occupied. Where its eyes would be was an almost clear green glass, marked in a honeycomb-like pattern.

However, the beauty of the Yeager came from the way in which it fought. As its pilots were both incredibly talented with swords, their Yeager reflected that in the retractable box-cutter swords it was outfitted with. In combat, Genesis Titan was a dual-blade wielding terror. Precise and deadly, it was truly worthy of being called a "Titan".

"Preparing the neural handshake," said Armin.

Mikasa and Levi eyed one another and nodded. They'd been partners and occasional lovers for years, first consummating their odd relationship when Mikasa had reached the age of eighteen. Neural handshakes—the very idea of being in each other's minds—hardly phased them.

"Neural handshake commencing."

No matter how many times Mikasa had done it, the initial plunge was always a bit of a shock. Memories both recognizable and foreign rushed at her, but she kept herself detached from it all. She saw her childhood rushing by her; she saw the memories of a young girl as she watched a Kaiju destroy her town. Even memories that weren't her own began to flood her consciousness as she experienced Levi's harsh beginnings as a thug in the underground world of Shiganshina.

Finally, she began to drift with him. And though she couldn't actually read Levi's mind, she could feel emotions and read his instincts; these shared senses would be crucial in piloting the Yeager against any Kaiju.

"Calibrating left hemisphere."

Mikasa lifted her left arm slowly, allowing for Genesis Titan to do the same.

"Calibrating right hemisphere," reported Armin.

Levi did the same.

"Both hemispheres are calibrated. Genesis Titan, you are now ready for combat."

The motor of several helicopters was all anyone could hear as the enormous Genesis Titan was carried out of the hangar and into the thrashing waters of the ocean. A storm was brewing, causing the waves to crash about. It would not be an easy fight.

The helicopters cut their lines, letting Genesis Titan fall to the water.

"Bonecleaver is approaching from your right," said Armin.

"I'm on it," said Levi. He retracted the Yeager's right blade and with Mikasa, steadied their stance.

"I don't see him," said Mikasa.

"He's underneath you!"

Levi slammed the blade into the water. With a roar, the beast emerged and quickly sank back down.

"That's a big one," breathed Mikasa.

Its thick hide resembled that of a rhino, as did the large horn protruding from its head. The rest of the Kaiju, however, was pure alien. Huge, hooked talons extended from its scaly hands while its feet, obscured by the rushing water, were most likely clawed as well. Its eyes— glowing blue from where Mikasa stood—were tiny, but saw far and in dark conditions. It was the ideal hunter with its long, serrated teeth and strong jaws made for crushing prey.

However, Mikasa and Levi weren't just any prey.

Graduating as the head of her class at the age of seventeen, Mikasa had made a name for herself as a prodigy pilot. Her reputation had only spread further when she was found to be drift compatible with Levi, another known genius. Together, they made up one of humanity's strongest Yeager pilots and had guarded the shores of Trost for nearly four years. Their kills totalled an impressive thirteen; the highest record of any Yeager to date.

"It's going to surface on the left!" Yelled Armin.

Mikasa readied her blade. As Bonecleaver rose up, she swung the weapon at its shoulder and held. The beast roared, trying to get at the Yeager, but they were too far. Withdrawing the blade, Genesis Titan swung back into position, but Bonecleaver wasn't about to wait for them to attack again. It rammed its horned skull into the Yeager. Mikasa and Levi moved back to absorb the shock of the blow, but the damage was done.

Bonecleaver then grabbed Genesis Titan and attempted to rip its head off. However, Levi stopped it with a slug to the skull, pushing it back.

"How're we looking, Armin?" Levi yelled.

"Your Plasma Launcher took the worst of the hit," reported the blonde. "I would suggest sticking to your steel-obsidian blades for now."

"Gotcha," said Mikasa. She looked over at her co-pilot and they nodded in unison.

With a graceful movement that one normally wouldn't expect of a gigantic robot, Genesis Titan extended both boxcutter blades to maximum length. Bonecleaver began to rear back, but the mech was quicker. Levi and Mikasa drove both blades into the stomach of the Kaiju and drew them upwards, creating deep wounds in its body.

"Charging Plasma Launcher!" Mikasa yelled. "Twenty seconds to firing!"

Levi nodded, but at that very moment, Bonecleaver swung at the Yeager, catching it off balance. As Genesis Titan began to tip back, the Kaiju moved forward and grabbed the Yeager.

"Try to shake it off!" Levi yelled.

"It's hanging on too tightly! And the Plasma Launcher is too damaged from its horn. It's still charging!"

Holding onto the Yeager, Bonecleaver ripped the left arm from its body, sparking an agonized scream from the co-pilot in charge of the left hemisphere.

"Mikasa!" Levi yelled.

"My arm!" She cried out.

When Bonecleaver was done with its arm, it made for the head of the Yeager. As it pried open the cranium of Genesis Titan, Mikasa could see the tip of its huge talons over the shredded metal.

Levi looked at her with an anguished expression. A large sheet of metal debris fell from the top of the dome and as Levi leaned to the left to avoid it, it cut through the leg of his suit. He screamed in pain.

As Mikasa counted the seconds down to their seemingly unavoidable demise, she began to stray from the drift—something she hadn't done since the early days of her training as a pilot.

 _"Fight! If you win, you live!_ "

Adrenaline rushed through her. Mikasa's pupils expanded and her muscles contracted. Her heart thudded loudly in her ears, drowning out the noise of the storm, the crush of metal as the Kaiju repeatedly rammed its horn in the Yeager, or even Levi.

_Plasma Launcher charged._

With a wild yell, Mikasa aimed the cannon at the chest of the Kaiju. With a huge flash of blue light, it tore through its chest. Bonecleaver began to fall, but not before it had heavily crippled Genesis Titan.

Mikasa suddenly felt very tired, her muscles loosening as she sank down. She looked over at Levi, but her co-pilot was unconscious and bleeding badly.

"Levi," she whispered, trying to reach for him, but the suit kept her back. "Levi…"

And that's when she blacked out.

* * *

"Sir," Armin said gravely to Pentecost. "We've lost visuals on Genesis Titan."

Erwin tented his hands, resting his chin on the tips of his thumbs. "And the Kaiju?"

"Defeated," said Armin. "But I can't find Mikasa or Rivaille."

"Arlert," said Erwin tiredly. "You know that being a pilot is an incredibly dangerous occupation. They knew the risks when they signed up."

"You're not asking us to just leave them, are you?" Armin's voice grew panicked. "What if they're alive? They might need help!"

"Armin." Erwin put a hand up to silence the young technician. "I'm sorry, but we cannot afford to lose any more pilots. Losing Genesis Titan is just a sacrifice we're going to have to make. The Kaijus are growing stronger and our numbers are dwindling."

"Which is exactly why we can't just leave our two best pilots to die!"

"You heard what was going on during the battle," said Erwin. "Bonecleaver crushed half the head. Nobody—not even our best—could survive that. And even if they did, their wounds are sure to be fatal."

Armin sat down in a nearby chair, running a shaking hand over his face. "But…Trost is the most attacked country. What are we going to do without Genesis Titan?"

Erwin smiled grimly. "I know of a friend that I can call up. Let's see if Midnight Blaze is ready for the job."

* * *

"Connie, Connie!"

Far from the area of Trost was Dauper, a small country that was rarely targeted, and thus, had no need for the Yeagers.

"Connie!" Sasha Braus called out to her friend. "My cousin told me we could find treasure, here!"

"Here?" Connie scratched his head. "Sasha, your cousin is just messing with you. Nobody has found treasure on the beaches of Dauper for at least sixty years."

Sasha shook her head vehemently. "No, I'm sure there's treasure here and—do you hear that noise?"

As the two strained their ears, they could faintly hear a _thump, thump_ coming from the sea.

"It sounds like something's coming from the water!"

"A Kaiju?" Sasha asked, her eyes wide and frightened. Only once in her life had she seen one and it was the most frightening thing she'd ever laid her eyes on. Sometimes, she still had nightmares about that row of jagged teeth and slitted, reptilian eyes.

"No," said Connie, squinting his eyes toward the horizon. "It looks…humanoid."

"A Yeager?" Sasha walked over to where her friend stood. "But the closest Yeager would be the one guarding Trost and that's pretty far away."

"It's a Yeager," said Connie as the mech came into view.

Both of them gasped as they took in the view. The Yeager was missing its arm and half its head seemed to be crushed in. It was a wonder that it could still function. As it neared the beach, it suddenly began to tip forward.

"Move out of the way!" Connie used his body to shield Sasha as they ran for cover.

With a loud crash, the Yeager landed in the sand.

Peeking out from behind Connie's back, Sasha slowly began to move forward. "Hello?" She called out.

There was no response, save for the coiling smoke that rolled off the Yeager in waves. A person, outfitted in a red-stained white suit, emerged from the cockpit. They seemed to be supporting someone else.

Connie and Sasha immediately rushed forward.

The girl, her black hair tousled, had blood trickling down the side of her face. "My partner…" she whispered, every breath laboured.

"We'll get you some help!" Sasha promised. "Connie!" With a nod, Connie rushed off.

"My partner…" The girl repeated.

"You're safe, now," said Sasha. "You're going to be fine."

The girl slumped, but Sasha caught her before she could fall. She laid the body of the other pilot on the sand. Putting her head to his chest, she listened and though it was faint, she could hear a pulse.

"You're going to be fine," said Sasha, watching the girl with worried eyes.

The girl was clutching at her arm. Sasha looked at the appendage and gasped when she saw the bloody wound there.

"We'll get you some help right away!"

The girl fell unconscious before Sasha could finish her sentence.


	3. The Wall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a filler chapter, but there's more to come in the next chapter.

**THREE YEARS LATER**

"I'm sorry, Commander Smith. We cannot keep pumping money into a program that's no longer working."

Erwin frowned, his eyebrows furrowing. "The Yeagers have proven time and time again that they are the most effective line of defense against the Kaiju."

Next to Erwin stood Armin, who fidgeted slightly, but kept his eyes locked on the screens in front of them.

Another member of the United Nations shook her head sadly. "The walls have kept humanity safe once."

"Once!" Argued Erwin. "RazorRipper—a category two, may I remind you—managed to break through the outermost wall in just over an hour!"

"Smith, your Yeagers are getting destroyed faster than you can fix them."

"Then, provide us the funds and the hands to fix them more quickly."

Dot Pixis, an incredibly prominent member of the committee, gave Erwin a grim look. "Erwin," he said. "You know that it isn't just about the Yeagers. We are running out of pilots and a Yeager is just a machine without pilots. You, more than anymore, should know that you cannot just force two people to pilot one Yeager. Nearly all of our experienced pilots are now dead and their Yeagers are completely destroyed."

Erwin sighed. "I'm well-aware of the fact. However, we do have more Trainees."

"They're just children, Erwin."

"If it's for the sake of humanity, I'm willing to bear that sacrifice," said Erwin.

The committee broke out in whispers, but Pixis cut them all off. "Fine. Erwin, we are willing to provide you funding for the next nine months or up until the completion of the walls. Once the construction has finished, you will not be receiving any more support from us."

"Agreed," said Erwin.

"We will also be relocating all remaining Yeagers to the last Shatterdome, located in Trost. Have your pilots moved there." With a click, Dot Pixis signed off. The other members of the UN followed suit.

Erwin smoothed down the front of his suit, looking around at other occupants of the room.

"They can't just cut us off like that," said Armin shakily. "The walls won't hold."

Marco Bodt—a very well-known Yeager pilot—nodded in agreement. "Is there any other way we can convince them not to shut us down?"

"Pixis is buying us as much time as we can," said Erwin. "Marco, have your co-pilot ready to move to Trost and contact the pilots of Armored Omen. Armin, have your crew fix up Striker Angel. I will find them new pilots."

Armin and Marco saluted.

"In the meantime, I'm going to have a little chat with an old friend of ours," said Erwin, looking down at his phone with a distracted sort of grimace.

* * *

Mikasa Ackerman unbuckled the straps of her Three-Dimensional Maneuver Gear and placed it on its rack. Rolling her shoulders, she winced as she encountered a kink in her neck, a result of working on the re-construction of Wall Maria for nearly the entire day.

The site was a mess of large metal beams and workers swinging from beam to beam via the 3DMG, a set of gears developed for mainly construction purposes. Using the piston-activated grapple hooks, workers were able to move from area to area with relative ease.

_"Work has now began on Wall Maria to repair and reinforce the structure. Officials confirm that these new additions to the Wall will hopefully prevent any future Kaiju attacks."_

Mikasa was never much of an avid news watcher, but something about the way that the reporter held himself—so confident that a mere block of concrete would stop the Kaiju—irked her. However, Mikasa was being paid decent money to aid in the building of said concrete block, so she kept her mouth shut.

Making her way to the office where she would receive her compensation for today's work, Mikasa found herself interrupted by a sudden flow of workers who began crowding the entrance. Out of curiosity, she followed the mob and found herself watching a military-issue helicopter touch down on the snow covered ground in front of them.

A blonde man clothed in a thick parka stepped out from the vehicle, shielding his eyes from the glare of the snow. Mikasa recognized him instantly, but she did not move from her spot. The man looked around the crowd, his stare a curious mixture of inquisitiveness and austerity. And then his gaze landed on Mikasa. He took several tentative steps forwards her, as if she was a deer he didn't want to frighten away. When confident that she would not flee, the man continued his walk, albeit a little more assuredly.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, sir." Mikasa saluted her senior.

"I wish I could say the same, Ackerman." Erwin Smith put up the hood of his parka, shivering slightly. "May I speak with you somewhere private? And a little less cold?"

"Of course," she said. She gestured to the inside of the construction site—more accurately, the inside of the newly constructed Wall Maria.

"Out of all the places to be, this was the last one I would expect to find you in," said Erwin when they'd finally settled a rarely frequented area. Surrounded by insulation, it was one of the warmer corners of the site.

Mikasa squeezed the zipper on her jacket, watching the cold metal imprint on the white flesh of her skin. "You should always expect the unexpected."

"Then, should I expect you to eagerly re-join the Yeager Program as a pilot?"

Mikasa clenched her fist, turning away from Erwin. "You can't possibly expect me to do that again. Because of me, Rivaille nearly died."

Erwin clamped a hand down on her shoulder to prevent her from running. "But, he didn't. You just left before he could wake up."

"I don't want to have to experience that feeling ever again," said Mikasa. She was visibly trembling, Erwin could tell. "When that Kaiju broke open the dome, Levi and I were still connected. I could feel his terror and my own. Can you imagine what that feels like? Not just your own fear, but the fear of the person you care most about? We almost died."

"Mikasa." Erwin cut her off with a glare. "I don't really have time for your melodrama."

"I couldn't protect Levi," said Mikasa miserably. "If I can't even protect him, how can you expect me to protect anyone else?"

"I don't expect you to protect anybody," said Erwin. "What I expect you to do is follow my orders and pilot a Yeager."

Mikasa swallowed thickly and looked down at her feet. "I lied."

"About?"

"My age," said Mikasa. "When I joined the program, I told the officer that I was nineteen. I was actually sixteen."

Erwin shoved his hands underneath his armpits for warmth. "I know."

Mikasa looked up. "You do?"

Erwin scoffed. "You don't seriously think that we wouldn't do background checks? Any candidate that passes the first round of training is immediately subjected to an intensive background check. When you made the cut, we pulled up your actual file."

"And you didn't kick me out?"

"Normally, we would have. However, you showed incredible skill and an enormous amount of potential. I wasn't about to let you go from the program because of a silly thing like age. You signed up for it. You wanted to become a pilot. I wasn't going to be the one to tell you no."

Mikasa shook her head. "I still lied, though. That wasn't right."

"You're right," said Erwin. "Lying wasn't the right thing to do, but you did it and thousands of people are alive today because of it."

"I'm sorry, sir." Mikasa began walking away. "I just don't think I'm the right person for the job."

"You're the only person for the job."

Mikasa stopped. "What?"

"Nearly all of our pilots are dead. So, in a way, you are right. You're not the right person for the job. You're the only person for the job."

Mikasa said nothing.

"Ackerman, the apocalypse is almost upon us. I'll ask you again: can I expect you to re-join the Yeager Program as a pilot?"

Mikasa turned around slowly. "When do we leave?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be introducing a bunch of new characters and Yeagers in the next chapter so you'll have that to look forward to.


	4. The Shatterdome

As the helicopter touched down on the landing pad, Mikasa looked around the naval base. Located in Trost, this Shatterdome was one of the many headquarters built to accommodate Yeagers. However, due to the collapse of the program, the only Shatterdome still in operation was Trost's.

"Welcome to the Shatterdome," said Erwin to Mikasa. "I'm sure you'll find that although a lot of things have changed around here, this isn't one of them."

Mikasa nodded, shielding herself from the sun as she stepped down. Two men ran out to greet them. As they approached, Mikasa felt something in her stomach flutter. Excitement, probably. She'd hadn't been this close to a Yeager in years.

"Good to see you managed to find her, Smith."

At the sound of that voice, Mikasa took a sharp intake of breath. "Hi," she said, putting out a hand. When Levi didn't take it, she let it drop down by her side.

"I think we've moved past formalities like that, haven't we?" Levi gave her a smile, but it wasn't exactly warm. Despite the fact that it'd only been a few years since they saw each other last, Levi had changed. No longer did he walk with the self-assured swagger of a Yeager pilot. His gait was odd, stuttering.

"We spent the better of four years in each other's minds," she jested nervously. "I think we've moved past a lot of other conventions, too."

This time his smile was genuine. "I missed you."

"Me too," said Mikasa and she drew him in for a hug. The sensation of Levi's arms wrapped around her waist was amazing. Clearly, she didn't realize just how much she'd missed him.

Erwin looked between the two. "Mikasa," he said, "have I introduced you to Eren?"

Mikasa perked up slightly at the name. "Eren?" She asked, gesturing to the boy standing next to Levi.

The boy—Eren—nodded. "That's me."

"His father was Grisha Yeager, who I'm sure you've heard of," explained Erwin.

"We've met," said Eren. "It was a long time ago. You probably don't remember."

"No," said Mikasa absentmindedly. "I remember. You're not a very easy person to forget," she admitted, not missing the glare Levi shot Eren.

Eren grinned. "Great! I'm one of the Trainees, you know. When I heard that you joined the Program a while ago, I was so jealous. My mom didn't want me to join."

"Really?" Asked Mikasa. She started following Erwin and Levi to the entrance of the headquarters.

Eren nodded, quickening his stride. "Yeah. But my dad thought it would be a good idea. Eventually, they came to a compromise."

"What was it?"

"Well," Eren scratched his head, "they thought that nineteen was too young to enroll, so they told me to wait until I was twenty-two. I've been a Ranger for two years now!"

"Have you ever piloted a Yeager?" Mikasa stepped into the large elevator with the others. She breathed in the scent of salt water and rusted metal; it brought her back to her early days as a Yeager pilot. She had felt unstoppable then.

"Not in combat," said Eren. "But my stimulator scores are pretty good."

"Uh-huh?"

"Forty-one kills out of fifty drops."

"That's not bad."

Eren pouted childishly. Levi slapped him with his glove. "Don't make that face," he said, scowling. "You look like a child."

"Levi, Eren." Erwin shot the two a warning look.

"Really." Mikasa told Eren reassuringly. "That's a really good score."

"Not as good as yours or Levi's. You guys got a perfect fifty kills out of fifty drops."

Levi snorted. "We're out of your goddamn league, Yeager."

"Levi, don't discourage him," said Erwin, swaying slightly as the elevator came to a stop. The group walked through the twisting halls. Mikasa recognized it as the route to the enormous hangar.

"He's not discouraging me at all," protested Eren. "I want to become a pilot so I can kill all of the Kaiju. And I will."

"We'll see," said Erwin noncommittally. "Mikasa, this is our new base of operations."

Mikasa stepped into the hangar hesitantly, as if she was expecting someone to swoop down and berate her for leaving. However, when no one did, she continued walking.

The hangar was built to accommodate an impressive twenty Yeagers. In its glory-days, it most likely would have stored anywhere from seven to fifteen Yeagers at a time. The ceiling was incredibly high; metal staircases sprung up in seemingly random patterns to top levels where workers could operate on the heads of the machines.

However, at that precise moment, only four Yeagers remained.

"A lot of people have died," said Erwin. "That also means that a lot of Yeagers have been demolished beyond repair. We've salvaged what we could, but this is it."

"And what is this 'it' that you're speaking of?" Asked Mikasa.

"The Resistance."

Erwin's words still rung in Mikasa's mind as she took in the view of the Yeagers before her.

"Aren't they a beaut?"

Mikasa turned around. "Armin!" She said, pulling her friend in for a hug.

"I'm so glad to see you," said Armin. "Though I wish it could have been under better circumstances." His nose wrinkled.

"I'll take what I can get," said Mikasa.

"Shall I take you away from these stuffy folks and introduce you to the other pilots?"

Mikasa looked at the ragtag team that was Erwin, Eren, and Levi. Presently, Eren and Levi seemed to be locked in a glaring contest and Erwin was pretending not to notice. "Please."

Armin took her by the arm and led her to the smallest Yeager in the compound. It was a faded white all over, save for the red glass covering the control unit. The mech wasn't built for heavy combat, Mikasa could tell. Everything about it seemed fast and light, from the two cannons mounted on its shoulders right down to the wasp-like appearance of its waist.

"This is Striker Angel," said Armin. "The first and last of the Mark VI's. As you can see, its primary focus is flight."

"Flight?"

Armin pointed to a huge pair of wings behind the Yeagers. They were folded to prevent drag. "Those are the wings. Striker Angel is also the only Yeager capable of flight. That's why it's so small. And do you see those cannons on its shoulders?"

Mikasa nodded.

"Those are cryo cannons. They use them to freeze Kaiju. See, the military wanted to really branch out with the Mark VI's, so they added a bunch of weaponry that wasn't normally found in other Yeagers. Hence, the wings and cryo cannons."

Two girls were standing by the feet of the mech. From where Mikasa stood, they seemed to be arguing about something. Suddenly, the shorter of the two waved over at Armin.

"Those'll be the pilots. Come on, Mikasa."

As they drew nearer, Mikasa took note of the girls. The one who'd waved at Armin—the blonde—seemed quite young, but almost completely at ease. The taller, who had dark hair tied back, gave Armin a clipped smile.

"Ymir, Christa," Armin greeted the two," this is Mikasa. She's the pilot of Genesis Titan."

Christa—the blonde—smiled at Mikasa. "It's nice to meet you."

Ymir just nodded in Mikasa's direction. "Took long enough for you to show up."

Christa glared at her co-pilot. "Don't be so mean!"

Ymir shrugged. "I'm just saying. Don't get a big head or anything just because Erwin had to go out and find you. We're all in the same boat now."

Mikasa nodded. "I know. It was nice meeting you two."

"Definitely," agreed Christa, still glaring at Ymir.

Ymir gave Mikasa a sort of careless wave. "See you around, Ackerman."

As Mikasa walked away with Armin, she looked back in the direction of Striker Angel and its crew. "Are they new?"

Armin nodded gravely. "The previous pilots died in combat, but we were able to salvage the Yeager. Although, Ymir and Christa have been in training and they've shown incredible promise."

"I can see that," said Mikasa sincerely. "They work well as a team."

"They do," said Armin.

Finally, Armin came to a stop in front of another Yeager. This one was huge. It was far larger than Mikasa's own Genesis Titan and far bulkier than Striker Angel. This Yeager was an army green and unlike any other Yeager, three arms. It looked to be heavily armed. Missiles were being loaded into cavities located in the head of the Yeager as well as the knuckles of its fists.

"That's Armored Omen," said Armin. "It's the biggest and oldest Yeager in our service. A Mark II relic. Its arms are spring loaded, which really makes for a strong punch…multiplied by three."

"It's very interesting," said Mikasa. "It has three pilots?"

"Strange, really." Armin said. "But the three of them share an incredibly close bond and they've known each other since childhood, so I guess it works for them."

At that very moment, two of them were walking over to greet the pair.

"That's Reiner," Armin pointed to the stockier one, "and the tall guy is his boyfriend—or partner because we're not really sure how to refer to them—Bert. Where's Annie?"

Reiner grinned, and grabbed Armin by the shoulder. Holding him in the crook of his elbow, he lightly tousled the blonde's hair. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

Mikasa, who earlier taken a fighting stance, relaxed. "Is there something you're not telling me, Armin?"

Reiner released Armin. His face was flushed, though whether it was from an actual blush or Reiner's chokehold, Mikasa couldn't tell. "Um, well…"

"This guy is crushing on my baby sister!"

"Who are you calling a baby?"

Reiner turned around. "Ahh, there she is!"

Annie looked half like she wanted to strangle Reiner and half like she wanted to kick his ass. "What the hell are you doing?"

"We're just meeting up with one of the prodigal pilots. Surely you've heard of Mikasa Ackerman?"

Annie's eyes snapped to Mikasa and sized up her. "Charmed," she said, sounding slightly friendlier as if Mikasa had passed some test of hers.

"Likewise," said Mikasa. She liked this girl already.

"I-I'm just going to introduce Mikasa to the others," said Armin, red-faced.

"Not going to stay?" Reiner teased. "Maybe you can recite some poetry for Annie."

"You're terrible," said Bert quietly.

"Ignore them," said Annie to Mikasa. "I'll see you two later."

With a nervous goodbye on Armin's part, they headed for the darkest coloured Yeager in the hangar. This one was built more similarly to Genesis Titan, though slightly larger. Painted a deep purple—almost black—the Yeager had cannons mounted inside its chest. The rest of the Yeager was sleek and like Striker Angel, seemed to be built more for speed than strength.

"And here we have Midnight Blaze, the fastest Yeager in service. After you went AWOL, we had to rely on them to help us out of quite a few sticky spots. Midnight Blaze is probably the most powerful Yeager in service right now. It's outfitted with brass knuckles, which can be laced with nanotubes that channel thermal energy and are capable of burning a Kaiju with each blow."

"Impressive," said Mikasa.

"And its chest is equipped with no less than six missile launchers."

Over at one of the tables surrounding Midnight Blaze's feet stood Erwin and Levi with two other men.

"The two guys there are Jean and Marco," said Armin. "They're really great guys."

Mikasa walked over to the group.

"Having fun yet?" Levi asked.

"Not as much fun as you, I'm sure."

"Have you met everyone?" Asked Erwin.

"Everyone but these two," said Mikasa. "Hi, Marco and Jean."

Marco shook her hand politely, but Jean just stared until his co-pilot gave him a bit of a shove. He hesitantly took Mikasa's hand and immediately let go. Covering his cheeks with the puffy sleeve of his jacket, he pointedly looked away.

Mikasa turned to Erwin. "You still haven't clarified the reason why I'm here."

"Shouldn't that be obvious? I want you to pilot a Yeager."

Mikasa frowned.

Sensing her discontent, Erwin continued. "We managed to find a very well-known Mark IV Yeager just off the coast of Dauper. It was in rough shape, but one of our technicians took it upon himself to patch it up and even add modifications."

Mikasa perked up. "Are you talking about—?"

Levi stood up from his chair, his posture tilted slightly to the right. "You're going to be piloting Genesis Titan once more."

"And that's it? I'm just piloting my Yeager to fight the Kaiju?"

Erwin stared at Mikasa, as if silently gauging her level of dedication. "We're going to be aiming for the breach."

"The area of the ocean where the Kaiju come from? How?"

"I have a plan," said Erwin. "And all you need to worry about is following my orders."

Mikasa turned to her previous co-pilot. "Will you be piloting with me?"

Levi shook his head and pointed down to his knee. "I can't."

Mikasa lifted a hand to her mouth. "Oh my god."

"It's not your fault," said Levi. "When Bonecleaver ripped open the head, I was already pretty injured. The fall on the coast on Dauper was what really did me in. They were forced to amputate from the knee down."

Mikasa looked down. "I'm sorry, Levi."

"It's not your fault," repeated Levi. "But, you're going to have to find a new pilot."

"We've gathered as many Trainees as we could. Hopefully, you'll find someone you're Drift compatible with," said Erwin.

Eren grabbed Mikasa's hand, his eyes shining. "Be sure to consider me, you hear?"

"Shitty brat," snorted Levi. "She's going to choose whoever is best suited to her. There's a good chance that it's not going to be you."

Eren rounded on Levi with a glare. "And how do you know that?"

"You're too angry. It's not good to carry that much emotion in a Yeager. You're going to either get lost in the Drift or you'll be so driven by rage that you'll end up getting yourself and your co-pilot killed."

"Levi and Eren?" Erwin interrupted the two. "Why don't you show Mikasa where Genesis Titan is being held? I'm sure she would like to see her old Yeager."

"I would," said Mikasa, looking at her old co-pilot with a hint of a smile, "I think I really would like that."


	5. Comfort

Levi and Eren led Mikasa into a closed-off section of the hangar. Even from far away, Mikasa could still hear the ring of hammering steel and almost feel the warmth of flying sparks. When they reached the construction bay, Mikasa saw workbenches piled with scraps of metal, bits of wire, and assorted tools. However, that was only to be expected. Yeagers, after all, required a certain amount of upkeep.

"That's her," said Levi, his voice oddly soft, as if he were talking about his own child.

Mikasa walked up to the railing, gently closing her fist around the cool metal. "She's beautiful."

Eren came up behind her. "We've patched her up and added a ton of cool new features."

Levi scowled at Eren from behind Mikasa's shoulders. "Stop talking about it like it's some goddamn car."

Eren glared right back.

"It's been a while since I've seen her," murmured Mikasa. "She looks nearly brand new."

It did. The last time that Mikasa had laid eyes on Genesis Titan, it was missing its entire left arm and a large chunk of its head. Wires had been sprouting randomly from the many craters inflicted by Bonecleaver. The nuclear reactor embedded in its chest had been damaged, sputtering and flickering.

Now, Genesis Titan looked completely whole.

"It practically is," said Eren. "We changed the hull, even. It's solid iron. And we've increased the number of muscle blocks per strand. In fact, Genesis Titan's specs are nearly on par with some of the more recent models."

"Armin's done a fantastic job overseeing all of this," said Mikasa.

"Actually," said Levi, "that was me."

"You?" Mikasa cocked her head. Then, she smiled. "I should've known."

Levi shrugged. "I only want what's best for our baby."

"Our baby, indeed." Mikasa looked over at her Yeager. It looked as if it'd even had a new paint job; the red stood out rather prominently against the blue of the mech, though that may have had more to do with the fact that Mikasa hadn't seen her Yeager in so long. "Did you fix up the blades?"

Levi shook his head. "Nope."

"Why?"

"We decided on something else instead," explained Levi. "We've outfitted Genesis Titan with a new plasma cannon on its left side. As arrogant as it sounds, I figured that your new pilot wouldn't be half as skilled with a sword as I was. The plasma cannon would make things easier in combat."

"What about the right side?"

The corner of Levi's lips quirked upwards. "I kept the blade on that side. Thought you might appreciate that."

"I do," said Mikasa solemnly. "I'm glad you thought of me."

"That's the only thing I've been doing as of late," admitted Levi. Before Mikasa could respond, he quickly backtracked. "You are, after all, her old pilot."

Sensing the discomfort between the two, Eren took the opportunity to interrupt. "We should start the trials soon. Mikasa, at 0600 hours tomorrow morning, report to the training facilities."

"See you guys tomorrow, then," said Levi, departing with a wave.

Mikasa waved distractedly before turning to Eren. "Can I expect to see you there?"

"Probably," said Eren.

"And why is it only probably?" Asked Mikasa. "I thought you wanted to become a pilot to protect mankind."

Eren ran a hand through his hair, sighing irritably. "Erwin doesn't believe I can do it."

Mikasa stared at the heart of her Yeager and spoke. "Do you remember when we were young? And those crazy people kidnapped us?"

Eren nodded. "I don't think I could ever forget something like that. If it weren't for you, I would have died."

"You're wrong about that," said Mikasa. "If it weren't for you, I would have died over and over."

"What do you mean?"

Mikasa leaned on the railing and turned her face to Eren. "You once told me that I should fight because if I won, I would live. You told me that if I didn't fight, there was no chance of me surviving."

"I did," said Eren.

"And that's always stuck with me. This world," Mikasa motioned to the dome, to the area even beyond the dome, "is cruel. And it's also very beautiful. I think that because you gave me those fighting words—reminded me to fight against the world's cruelty—I was able to see its beauty." Mikasa straightened up and made direct eye contact with Eren. "I want you to be one of those candidates tomorrow."

"I want to," said Eren. "Really, I do."

"I'll stand by you," promised Mikasa. "So, can I expect to see you at the trials tomorrow?"

Eren grinned. "You bet."

* * *

Marco had seen a lot of science labs in his lifetime. In high school, his favourite class was chemistry. He loved his chemistry class, loved it when the teacher mixed brightly coloured solutions together to create a new one. When he'd gone to college for the few years that he did, Marco loved the sciences. He'd made sure to attend every tutorial and lab, never wanting to miss out on a single second.

However, all of that paled in comparison to the Kaiju Science Lab.

On the walls hung shelves laden with jars of Kaiju remains suspended in neon fluid. From where Marco stood, he could see slabs of purplish flesh, interwoven with darker fibers of what Marco assumed to be nerves. Mobiles depicting different Kaiju in action dangled from the ceiling; an inflatable Yeager stood propped up against the opposite wall.

In the center of the chaos stood Hanji Zoe, sawing bits off a sample of a Kaiju scavenged recently. Hanji was the resident "Kaiju Freak" and loved everything about the creatures, from their tiny strands of DNA to their enormous fanged visages. There wasn't anything about the Kaiju—except maybe their desire for destruction and human flesh—that Hanji didn't love.

"Hanji," said Erwin. "What have you got for me?"

Marco watched as Hanji flushed with happiness. Immediately, Hanji stripped off their gloves and literally leapt over to a huge chalkboard that nearly spanned the entire height of the room. "In the beginning, the Kaiju were only attacking at one year intervals."

Erwin nodded.

"Then, it became every six months. And then three." Hanji pointed to rapidly scribbled equations with morbid excitement.

"We know this already," said Erwin.

"Yes," Hanji rapped the board with their pointer, "but did you know that in five days, we are going to witness a double event?"

"Double event?" Marco echoed, not liking the sound of it.

"Precisely," said Hanji. "And then a triple event, if my calculations are right—which they always are."

"And then a quadruple event?" Erwin asked, his face grim.

"Yep," said Hanji. "Though we'd probably be dead by that time."

Marco put his head into his hands. "This is not good," he said. "We don't have much time. What are we going to do?"

Hanji rushed over and grasped Marco by the hands. "I still have some good news." Marco looked up and was shocked by the frenzied look in Hanji's eyes.

They gestured to a machine showing a holographic image of the breach, the portal from which the Kaiju originated, located between two tectonic plates. The breach resembled a throat-like passage, curving into an unknown world. "This," said Hanji, pointing to the image, "is what we're going to call 'the Throat'. Basically, this is where all of the Kaiju have been coming from."

Hanji pressed a few buttons on the machine and a small icon that Marco recognized as the universal symbol for a nuclear bomb appeared. Hanji dragged the icon to the top of the breach. "When more Kaiju are passing through the breach, the passageway is going to have to open wider and stabilize for a longer period of time. By my calculations, the triple event will allow us enough time to get our bomb through and collapse the passage." Hanji dropped the icon and as it fell through the breach, it exploded and disintegrated the portal.

Marco looked at the model with slight skepticism. The plan sounded easy enough, but its execution would be anything but. He looked up at Erwin who was observing the hologram with a sort of serious determination.

"The only thing is that I don't know how long the breach is going to stay open," admitted Hanji. "We're going to have to be on our guard."

"We're always on our guard," said Erwin. "Hanji, I want your data on my desk, ASAP."

Hanji saluted. "May I get back to Crushtrunk, now?" Hanji gestured to the mass of flesh on the operating table in the middle of the room.

"You may," said Erwin.

Marco followed his commander out of the room, watching Hanji eagerly pull on their rubber gloves and toss entrails onto the floor. "Hanji is rather eccentric, sir."

"Hanji is a genius," said Erwin sternly, "but can be quite odd, I'll agree."

"Where did you get that Kaiju sample, anyways?" Marco asked. "I thought there was nothing left of Crushtrunk." He was referring to the category three Kaiju that had made a mess of Stohess a few years prior.

Erwin didn't look at Marco when he responded. "I have my contacts," he said without missing a beat.

Marco left it at that.

* * *

Mikasa rolled over in the tiny, military-issued cot. The harsh green glow emitting from the alarm clock on her bedside table told her that it was nearly three AM. In the coldness of the room, Mikasa hefted her blankets further up her chest, but she still couldn't stave off the cold.

"I can't sleep," she whispered to herself.

It wasn't anything unusual. Many Yeager pilots suffered from insomnia and frequent nightmares as a result of the stress they had to endure as soldiers for humanity. However, it was a small price to pay for the safety of humankind.

 _I can't remember the last time I had a good night's sleep_.Mikasa thought to herself. And before she could convince herself not to, she slid out of bed and padded across the floor barefoot. Leaning on the door, she gently turned the knob, wincing as her bare skin made contact with the freezing metal.

She peeked outside. At this hour, nobody was wandering the halls. Mikasa crept out and tiptoed to the door right across from hers. She gently knocked.

It immediately opened.

"Sorry," whispered Mikasa. "I didn't mean to bother you."

Levi nodded solemnly. It was evident from the bags underneath his eyes that he was lacking a good sleep routine. "Come in."

Mikasa stepped into Levi's room and looked around. Much like its occupant, the room was completely clean. There were no decorative posters of any kind, only a single photo that hung on the wall next to his bed. Leaning in closer, Mikasa realized it was a photo of the two of them from their early days.

"You still have this," she said.

"I do."

"I still have mine too."

Levi sat at the end of his bed and rubbed his eyes. "What do you want?" His voice was frosty, professional.

Mikasa found herself missing the Levi she used to know and wondered if, despite drifting with him for years, they could have grown apart. "Can I stay?" Her voice was quiet and almost timid.

Levi patted the spot beside him and Mikasa took it as an invitation to sit down. As she moved near him, she could almost feel his consciousness and the mixed feelings he was harbouring about her return. On one hand, he was more than happy to see her again and had faith in her abilities as a pilot despite her hiatus. On the other hand, however, he was angry that she'd left.

"I have training tomorrow," she said.

"Then, you should go to bed. We both have to be up pretty damn early."

"I can't sleep." Mikasa lay down on Levi's bed and stared at him with wide eyes. "I've had problems sleeping since Trost."

"I know," said Levi. "Me too." He lay down beside her, their hands almost touching.

"Even when we were away from each other, I could still feel you. Sometimes, it felt like we were still Drifting."

"I know exactly what you're talking about."

Mikasa hissed lowly as something cold and metallic made contact with her bare leg.

Levi sat up partway and gestured to his own leg. The appendage, missing from the knee down, had been replaced with a metal limb. Gears quietly whirled inside the contraption and tiny piston pumped. To Mikasa, it looked like a tinier version of a Yeager leg. "Sorry."

"What is that?"

Levi rapped on the limb with his knuckles. "It's an artificial limb. It works sorta in the same way that the Yeagers do. It was fucking painful to get it attached."

Mikasa ghosted her fingers over the surface of the metal.

"Go ahead," said Levi, already anticipating her question.

Mikasa put her hand to it. Like she expected, it was cold. Moving her hand lower, she could feel the vibrations coming from the machinery underneath. As she slid her palm underneath his leg, Mikasa heard a sharp intake of breath from above her.

"I can actually feel you, you know."

"Sorry," said Mikasa sheepishly. "I forgot it was attached to you."

"Hm." Levi laid back onto his pillow, stretching out his arm. "Are you done, yet? I'm starting to cramp up."

"Yeah." Mikasa copied his movements, resting her neck on his arm. She boldly draped her left arm loosely around his waist and entangled his legs with her own. "I missed you so much."

In response, Levi moved his arm lower to wrap around Mikasa's shoulders. It was only when they were lying down that he could be taller than her and Levi found himself revelling in every second of it.

This position was familiar to their bodies, as they'd spent many nights like this. As co-pilots, they'd soon learned that the best way to combat nightmares was to have someone to comfort you when you woke up. Rather than risking the wrath of Erwin, Mikasa and Levi had decided to take turns sleeping in each other's beds.

"I'm going to meet my new pilot tomorrow," said Mikasa.

"I know," said Levi.

"Are you angry?"

"No. I know what has to be done for humanity."

"You're always going to be my favourite."

"You act like you've had many pilots."

"I have," whispered Mikasa. "Before we met, I trained with so many people, but I only wanted to drift with you. It's always been you."

Levi looked up at the ceiling, tightening his hold on her. "It'll be odd," he chose his words carefully, "drifting with some brat after so many years of being in my mind."

"It will be," agreed Mikasa.

"They're probably going to have piss-poor skills," continued Levi. "You're dreaming if you think you'll find someone who can match you with a blade."

"Probably."

"And the first time you Drift is going to be _hell_. They'll be lucky if they don't start chasing the R.A.B.I.T., let alone manage to calibrate Genesis Titan."

"The first time is always the roughest."

"Ours wasn't."

"You threw up afterwards and I kept hearing voices in my head for three days."

"But our Drift was incredibly strong," argued Mikasa. "It was only the aftereffects that were terrible."

Levi hummed in response. "You'll be fine," he said, almost as if he could hear Mikasa's thoughts and feel her worries. "As much as I can't stand the brat, Eren is going to be fine."

"He saved my life once," said Mikasa. "And now he wants to endanger his own."

"We all endanger our lives when we become trainees," said Levi. "It's part of a process. You're going to save millions of lives by doing this, Mikasa. Not just Eren's or your own."

Mikasa snuggled deeper into his embrace. "I really did miss you," she repeated.

Levi brushed his lips across the crown of her head. "I missed you too, brat."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick side-note: I don't feel like Mikasa and Levi's relationship here is moving along too fast. They've literally been in each other's minds and they don't have any secrets from each other. Despite the fact that they haven't seen each other in quite a while, they're not strangers. I'll expand more on it in later chapters, but there's something about the Drift where, even when you're disconnected, a part of you still stays in that Drift.
> 
> Hope this cleared up the reasoning behind some of their actions!


	6. Finding a Co-Pilot

The Kwoon Combat Room was exactly as Mikasa remembered it. A large mat covered a majority of the floor, providing cushion for Rangers that would otherwise be injured in practice matches. The walls were decorated with an interesting array of graffiti and bloodlike stains that came from the rusted pipes running through the structure.

At this precise moment, the room was unusually crowded; Rangers who'd passed several of Erwin's tests as well as other Yeager pilots made up for the group of people standing in the large doorway.

Mikasa slammed another opponent to the ground with her hanbō, a staff that was roughly three feet in length and one inch in width. The boy—barely older than her—grimaced in pain as his back made contact with the mat.

"Four-to-one." Levi's voice echoed in the cavernous arena. Beside him stood Erwin, who was holding a clipboard and regarding the training with a critical eye. "Next."

Another Ranger stepped forward. This time, it was a young girl with black hair tied into two pigtails. She took the hanbō from Thomas—the previous Ranger—and stood face to face with Mikasa, mimicking her stance. If Mikasa recalled correctly, this girl's name was Mina Carolina and she was a twenty-five year old Ranger who had joined the Academy just over a year ago. While she didn't have stellar marks in combat, she worked well in teams and followed orders well.

Mikasa gave the hanbō an experimental twirl, pointing one end toward Mina. The girl rushed towards Mikasa, a frontal assault. Dodging around it, Mikasa tapped Mina on the back of her leg.

"One to zero," said Levi.

The next series of strikes were aggressive; Mina slashed and thrusted, in the hopes of cracking Mikasa's defense. At once, Mikasa knew the two weren't Drift compatible.

"Two to zero."

During her days at the Training Academy, Mikasa had learned that potential co-pilots were often paired up on the basis of how they fought. The reasoning behind that particular method, while not immediately obvious, soon became clearer over time. People who could anticipate one another's moves were more likely to have a stronger neural handshake. There was also the idea that Rangers of equal skill would have a higher degree of respect for one another, a crucial component in allowing someone access to your mind.

The reason why Mikasa knew she wouldn't be compatible with Mina Carolina was because she knew the girl feared her. The strokes she executed weren't an attempt to win; the girl was trying to keep Mikasa as far away as possible.

"Three to zero."

Deciding to put her out of her misery, Mikasa sidestepped another one of Mina's wild strokes and brought her hanbō up to her neck. The girl's eyes widened fractionally and the hanbō she was swinging toward the space where Mikasa had stood was now still. Mikasa's stance was almost predatory, the lines of her body clean and posture balanced. In contrast, Mina shivered beneath the impassive almost-scowl of the other girl, like an antelope pinned under the death grip of a lion.

And in the crowd surrounding the doorway, Annie Leonhardt gave Mikasa a tiny, approving nod that went almost unnoticed by the latter. Their gazes locked and held for a few seconds. Annie was the first to break the stare, turning her head to the side.

"Four to zero."

With a relieved sigh, Mina quickly thanked Mikasa and scurried off the mat, handing the hanbō to the next person in the crowd.

"Eren, you're not even supposed to be here," said Levi tiredly. He tapped his clipboard with the tip of his pen, pointing to an invisible spot where Eren's name would have been if he'd qualified.

Eren held onto the hanbō tightly, the staff looking out of place on him. He seemed more suited to grappling. Unlike Mikasa who wielded the weapon like an extension of her arm, Eren gripped the staff almost uncomfortably. "I can do this," he insisted. "I'm going to kill all the Kaiju and to do that, I need a Yeager."

"You needed to pass the qualifying rounds," said Erwin. "Which you didn't. You did not make the list of candidates for Mikasa Ackerman's co-pilot and therefore, have no right to challenge her."

Seeing Eren's angry face, Mikasa spoke up. "I think that's for me to decide. And I will accept Eren's challenge, should he propose one."

Eren brightened, spinning the hanbō so that he could grasp it from behind.

"Mikasa," said Erwin, "we factored a lot into what makes a good pilot. We tested all potential candidates before they even stepped foot into the ring with you. Eren Yeager did not make that cut."

Mikasa shrugged. "I'm the one piloting the Yeager, so I should be the one allowed to choose my pilot." She smiled at Eren who roguishly grinned back. "I think Eren has what it takes."

Erwin's eyebrows furrowed, prompting Levi to take a step back in the realization that the former was about to lose his temper. "Do _not_ presume—even for one second—that this is about you," he said lowly. "We have the fate of humanity resting on our shoulders. I will not have a rookie who can't pass the qualifying rounds step into a Yeager."

Mikasa's eyes darkened. "Give him one shot," she argued. "Let him try to prove himself. And then we'll see."

Erwin looked over at Levi who reluctantly nodded. "What we have got to lose by letting the brat get into the ring with her? He's just going to get his ass kicked."

Erwin nodded. "Fine."

"And let's change things up a little." Mikasa threw her hanbō to the side. "I heard you were quite talented at hand-to-hand combat," she said quietly to Eren.

Erwin sighed and massaged his forehead. Levi rolled his eyes, but made the motion for the fight to begin. "Play to three strikes."

Eren began circling Mikasa, who stood perfectly still. And then, he rushed at her. Mikasa swiftly avoided the strike and used Eren's force against him, throwing him to the ground. He landed with a muffled _thwump_ , earning a sympathetic wince from the crowd.

From his vantage point atop the tiny stairwell, Levi choked down on his laughter. "One to zero." And while he didn't approve of the Yeager brat in the slightest, some part of him admired his tenacity as well as his ability to get right back up after being thrown by Mikasa.

And then, the tide of the fight changed. Eren managed to land a strike on Mikasa, bringing their score to an even one-all. Mikasa retaliated by executing a series of evasive maneuvers until she had Eren pinned to the ground, his wrist locked in her grip and her other hand wrapped around the back of his neck.

"Two to one."

Mikasa could feel that this fight was different from the rest. She wasn't truly trying to gain the upper hand on Eren. Rather, the two of them were engaged in a dance of sorts, practically moving in sync and anticipating each other's steps. Mikasa soon found herself unable to land another strike on Eren because it was like fighting herself. Every blow was parried with a perfect block, every defensive posture mimicked.

Eren met her eyes and she knew he was thinking the same thing. They weren't fighting. They were Drifting.

"That'll be all for today." Erwin's voice broke their reverie.

At this, the crowd dispersed. Reiner, Bert, and Annie headed back to their shared cabin for another game of poker, but not before giving Mikasa a nod of acknowledgement. Christa waved goodbye as Ymir dragged her away. Only Marco and Jean stayed—the latter's eyes had barely strayed from Mikasa as she fought, spellbound by her grace and skill. Marco elbowed him in the gut and Jean straightened up immediately.

Mikasa snapped to attention and broke her stance. "He's my co-pilot," she said, wrapping her hand around Eren's wrist.

Eren gave her a look that was a mixture of awe and surprise. Turning to Erwin and Levi, he nodded enthusiastically.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible," said Erwin. Holding his hand out to Levi, he took the clipboard and flipped through several pages. His casual demeanor irked Mikasa—this was something important to her and he treated it as if Eren was some minor inconvenience.

"And why is that?" Mikasa asked, still hanging onto Eren. "You saw our fight. We're Drift compatible."

"And even if you are, Eren Yeager does not qualify as a pilot."

"He got forty-one kills out of fifty drops, sir." Even Levi spoke up for the boy, albeit grudgingly. "I don't like the idea of him being Mikasa's pilot, but he's probably the best option we have."

Eren looked up at Erwin pleadingly. "I can become a pilot," he said. "I'll work hard and fight even harder if that's what it takes."

Erwin frowned and shook his head. "It takes more than a good work ethic to become a Yeager pilot. If hard work was all it took to defeat the Kaiju, we would have won this war years ago."

Eren bristled. Sensing his anger, Mikasa gently squeezed his hand as if to tell him that she would handle the talking. "I know that. We all know that. But you can't deny him this chance just because you don't think he'll be ready."

"It's not about that." Erwin's voice grew quiet and Mikasa had to strain her ears to hear.

"Then what is it about?"

"We're done here," said Erwin, a note of finality in his voice. "Ackerman, report to Mission Control in two hours to find out who your co-pilot will be."

Eren ripped his hand out of Mikasa's and stomped away. Mikasa watched him go and felt her stomach sink. "Erwin, I'm not going to find someone like that. Other than Levi."

Levi shuffled, trying and failing to hide his smile. He coughed into his elbow and when his head finally emerged from the crook of his arm, his facial expression was stoic. Though, the corner of his lip still quirked upwards a little.

"Ackerman, you have your orders."

Glaring at her commander, Mikasa followed after Eren and left the Kwoon Combat Room.

"Are you sure you're making the right decision?" Levi asked Erwin. "I know you made that promise, but keeping him cooped up here isn't necessarily going to protect him."

Erwin straightened his tie. "I will do what I have to."

"Maybe you should tell Mikasa," suggested Levi. "Have her look after the brat."

Erwin paused and the handed the clipboard to Levi. "Review the data," he said. "I'll see you in a couple of hours." He jogged down the steps and made his way out of the room.

"Aren't you going to tell me who to choose?" Levi called after his commander. "Bunch of assholes," he muttered.

* * *

Mikasa threw herself onto her bed and burrowed deeply into the covers, not caring that she was probably filthy from the trials. A knock sounded at her door. Dragging herself from the warmth of her cot, Mikasa yanked open the door. "Who is it?" She asked irritably, thinking it was either Eren or Levi.

"Mikasa." Erwin Smith stood in her doorway, an imposing figure shaded against the bright light that streamed in from the hallway.

Mikasa straightened herself. "Erwin, sir."

"May I come in?"

Mikasa stepped aside to let her guest enter.

Erwin cleared his throat. "A long time ago, I made a promise to someone named Carla Yeager. I vowed to protect her son while she couldn't."

"Sir, with all due respect—"

"I want nothing more than to send Eren into combat," he said. "He has the right attitude and I know that he is Drift compatible with you. But, doing so would break my promise to Carla."

"Sir—"

"Mikasa." Erwin silenced her with one glance. "Can you promise me that you'll protect Eren? If I let him in a Yeager, can you do this for me?"

Mikasa nodded wordlessly.

"I want us to win," said Erwin. "Humanity needs to win. And to do so, we need to make sacrifices. I will break my promise to Carla Yeager, but you cannot break your promise to me. Promise me that you'll protect Eren Yeager. Promise me that you'll keep him from harm."

"I promise," vowed Mikasa, her voice low. "He saved my life, once. I owe him at least that much."

"Good." Erwin's glare softened fractionally. "Then you have an incentive to keep him safe."

"Does that mean he'll be my new co-pilot?"

"We'll see," said Erwin cryptically. "We'll see."


	7. First Drift

**Excerpt from** _**BEGINNINGS: THE UNOFFICIAL HISTORY OF THE YEAGER PROGRAM** _

Here's the thing about Drifting:

When you Drift with someone, you're exposed to everything. You can hear your partner's every thought, relive their every memory, experience their every emotion; and it all passes by in a flash. Drifting melds two—or in some cases, three—minds together. You work as one unit. When one pilot lifts their arm, the other is prompted to do the same. Two people literally become the one brain operating a Yeager.

However, no matter how simple Drifting sounds, it's far from it. It's so easy to let lost in someone else's mind, to chase the R.A.B.I.T. (Random Access Brain Impulse Triggers) and lose your control over your Yeager. I cannot even begin to count the number of Rangers who have let themselves become distracted by memories—those belonging to them or their co-pilot.

And the first Drift? It's always the roughest.

* * *

The drivesuit was the most beautiful thing Mikasa had ever seen.

Sleek and black, the new suit were a sure improvement over the chipped, white ensemble she had donned with Levi. The drivesuit was comprised of a circuitry suit and battle armour on top. The circuitry suit allowed the nervous system of the pilot to connect with the Yeager, permitting the wearer to feel everything that their Yeager felt. The surface battle armour was for protection purposes, shielding the pilot from any potential damage.

"It's bulletproof," said Annie Leonhardt, who was watching the entire process with a stoic expression.

"It's gorgeous," said Mikasa, surprised that the other girl was actually initiating conversation with her.

"Although," interjected Christa, who'd volunteered to help Mikasa suit up, "we have yet to see Kaiju that actually shoot bullets."

"Don't say that," barked Ymir, standing a little ways away from her partner. "You don't want to jinx it. Just watch. The Kaiju are going to start shooting bullets at us."

"Don't be crazy, Ymir."

The two bickered back and forth, their argument growing louder and louder. Mikasa flinched as Christa attached the Spinal Clamp with a little more force than strictly necessary.

"Whoops! Sorry about that," apologized the girl.

"No worries," said Mikasa, shaking it off. "Thanks."

"Pilots of Genesis Titan, report to Bay 2." Armin's voice echoed over the intercom.

Waving goodbye to her fellow pilots, Mikasa made her way to Bay Two and with the help of a few techs, approached the Conn-Pod, also known as the cockpit, of Genesis Titan. Standing in the entrance, Mikasa took her time to admire the changes made to her Yeager. The machinery had been upgraded and the interior was covered in polished surfaces, a far cry from the rusted cockpit that Mikasa had been anchored to three years ago. However, Mikasa still found herself slightly missing the old Conn-Pod. She missed piloting with Levi.

Hearing footsteps approaching from her left, Mikasa spoke up. "I hope you don't mind that I'm taking the right side. My left arm got pretty banged up from my last mission."

Eren Yeager strode into the Conn-Pod with a strut reminiscent of most fresh pilots. "I'm fine with that."

Mikasa smiled at him. "I told you that you could do it."

Eren nodded, the huge smile on his face making him look slightly less intimidating in the black battle armour.

Immediately, the two began strapping themselves in. In spite of Eren's unfamiliarity with this particular Yeager, Mikasa was impressed to see that he was able to connect himself to the operating system.

"Pilots, ready yourselves for the drop," said Armin.

Mikasa pressed one of the glowing buttons on the switchboard in front of the head-up display. "We're ready. Hang on tight, Eren."

The headless body of Genesis Titan roared to life, its nuclear reactor glowing red. Forty feet above, the Conn-Pod began its fast descent to the neck. As the cockpit neared its destination, the flaps around the neck of Genesis Titan opened up to accommodate its pilots. The Conn-Pod, now firmly attached to the body, rotated until the head was properly aligned. More flaps clicked into place; their main priority was to protect the detachable head and neck from potential damage by Kaiju.

"Pilots." The two sprang to attention at the sound of Erwin's clipped voice. "We're just going to take it slow today. A neural handshake and some calibration to make sure everything is working the way we want it to work."

"Yes, sir." Eren yelled over the whirl of the machines in the Yeager.

Mikasa pressed the glowing blue button once more. "Yes, sir." She repeated.

"Pilots, ready yourselves for neural handshake. Handshake will be commencing in ten seconds." Armin began a countdown.

"Eren," said Mikasa. "This isn't a simulation. This won't be like anything you've ever practiced."

"I know that," said Eren.

"Don't chase the R.A.B.I.T.," advised Mikasa. "Our minds are going to meld and that means we'll be able to see each other's memories. When that happens, just let it flow by you. Don't latch on to anything, okay?"

"Just let it flow," recited Eren. "Got it."

"Neural handshake now initiating."

Mikasa took a deep breath.

* * *

"So, what's going on?"

"Genesis Titan is doing a practice run with its new pilot," said Annie to her step-brother as she leaned on the rusted railing overlooking the ground floor where Genesis Titan stood. "This should be fun to watch."

"Hey now," warned Reiner. "Don't be so mean. This is Eren's first time, you know."

"We've all had first times," interjected Ymir. "Eren doesn't get special treatment."

"Ymir!" Christa glared at her partner. "Watch it. Eren's had a rough time, too."

"I envy him, though," said Jean. "What I wouldn't give to be partnered with Mikasa Ackerman…"

Marco elbowed Jean. "I'm right here, you know."

"What's so special about Mikasa, anyways?" Annie asked. "I'm always hearing you guys sing her praises, but I have yet to see her in action. Other than the trials today."

"Which was pretty badass, I have to admit," added Reiner.

Annie nodded her agreement.

Marco cleared his throat. "Well, Mikasa and Rivaille hold the record for the highest number of Kaiju kills, which is thirteen. Not to mention that Mikasa Ackerman is the first and only person to survive piloting a Yeager solo."

"Solo?" Bert spoke up.

"Solo," repeated Marco. "It's a wonder that her brain isn't completely fried."

"So, that's where her scars came from!" Christa slammed her fist into her open palm. At the looks of confusion she encountered, she began to explain. "When I was helping her get dressed today, she had these scars all on the side of her body that looked very similar to the markings on the circuitry suit."

Reiner winced. "That's got to hurt."

"Poor girl," said Christa.

"That was her last mission," said Marco. "After that, she checked herself out of hospital and left a note for Erwin saying she quit the program."

* * *

"Your neural handshake is looking nice and strong!" Armin's voice was cheerful and encouraging. "Preparing for calibration."

Eren and Mikasa moved their appendages slowly, following the procedure for ensuring that their Yeager would move its limbs and react at the exact same time as its pilots.

"Calibration complete. Genesis Titan, you're looking good."

Mikasa sighed in relief. She turned her head, hoping to see Eren's reaction, but was met with a completely different sight.

It was Levi. He was wearing their old white drivesuit and it was splattered with blood. " _Mikasa_!" He called out, his voice echoing for some strange reason. Above him, the Conn-Pod of the Yeager was in the process of being torn open, claws hooked over the jagged ends of the metal.

"Genesis Titan!"

" _Mikasa!_ " Levi screaming again. Mikasa could only watch in horror as the hole became bigger and bigger.

"Genesis Titan! You are out of alignment!"

Mikasa shook her head roughly. At once, Levi in his white drivesuit disappeared and the rip in the Conn-Pod was gone. "I'm fine," she said to Armin. "Just give me a second."

"You're looking alright, but Eren is way off," warned Armin. "He's chasing the R.A.B.I.T.!"

* * *

"What's going on up there?" Reiner shaded his eyes, looking upwards. "The Yeager's stopped moving."

"I don't know," said Annie. "Maybe they've finished."

"I don't think so," said Ymir, her eyebrows furrowing. "When Christa and I were trying out our Yeager for the first time, it went on for a lot longer than this."

"Yeah," chimed in Christa. "They made us run through the mandatory weapon checks to make sure everything was in working order."

"Do you think something went wrong?" Asked Reiner.

"This is Mikasa Ackerman we're talking about here," said Jean. "There's no way she would let anything go wrong."

Annie rounded on the boy. "I don't know if you realize this, but it's been three years since Mikasa last set foot in a Yeager—a lifetime for a pilot. Just because she used to be the best doesn't mean she still is."

"Annie's right," said Marco. "The shock of the Drift after three years and the idea of Drifting with a new person might hinder her."

* * *

Mikasa was standing in the middle of a road, cluttered with debris and chunks of torn-up concrete. "Eren?" She called out, her voice echoing in the emptiness of the city.

She walked slowly, her boots crunching on the glass from broken car windows. "Eren?" She called out. There was no response.

There was an incredibly loud—and familiar—roar behind her. Whipping around, Mikasa saw the crablike claws of a Kaiju wrap around the side of a building. As it came into view, she gasped as she recognized its distinctive lobster-like appearance. This was Varugo, a category II Kaiju that had decimated most of Shiganshina.

A young boy rushed by her, pulling an older woman by his side. The woman, heaving with exhaustion, tripped over an upturned street lamp.

"Mom!" The boy turned around and reached toward his fallen mother.

Behind them, Varugo grew closer. Concrete rained on the streets below as it made its way toward the two.

The mother moved to get up, but as she did so, a pile of debris fell, crushing her from the waist down. She let out an unearthly howl that made the hairs on the back of Mikasa's neck stand on end.

"Mom!" The boy cried out again.

She shook her head. "Eren, I can't move. You have to get out of here on your own!" Tears shimmered in her eyes.

Eren shook his head vehemently. "Mom, we've got to go. The Kaiju is getting closer."

"Eren," his mother's voice grew soft. "You have to go. Don't stay here. It's too dangerous. If you're not killed by the Kaiju, you're going to get killed by the debris."

"I can't leave you!"

"Eren!" She screamed at him. "Go!"

With one last tearful look, Eren reluctantly turned around and took a step forward. He backtracked rapidly. "Mom, I'll get help! I'll get help!"

Mikasa watched the exchange between the two, the pit in her stomach growing as she realized that this scene was eerily familiar to her, as was the Kaiju.

* * *

"What the hell is going on?" Levi yelled as he strode into the command centre as fast as he could.

"The pilots are out of sync," replied Armin without looking up.

"Out of sync?" Levi rushed over to where Armin was sitting and gazed at the various screens and controls. "How can that be? We tested for Drift compatibility and they had it!"

"Eren's chasing the R.A.B.I.T. and Mikasa is trying to get him to come back as we speak."

"Fuck," whispered Levi. "Erwin knew this would happen, didn't he?" He lowered his voice, hoping the other man wouldn't hear him.

"I can't say for sure," said Armin, "but I wouldn't be surprised if Erwin had an inkling that Eren might get triggered by his memories."

"That asshole," swore Levi under his breath. "What the hell are we supposed to do now?"

"We wait," said Erwin. "Mikasa said she's got this. If we don't trust them to align themselves, how are we going to trust them with the fate of humanity?"

Even from where he stood, Levi could see Armin tense up. "What's going on?" He asked. "What's the matter?"

However, Armin didn't need to respond for Levi to see the verily apparent problem.

Outside the control center, the Yeager stood. Tall and proud, it was a shining beacon of hope for humankind, representing the idea that they could one day put an end to the Kaiju that plagued them. Genesis Titan even looked ready for battle against these monsters, its left hand rearranging into a Plasma Cannon and beginning to charge.

"Oh, shit." Erwin was in motion before the words even left Levi's mouth.

"Take them offline!"

* * *

"Why is the cannon charging?" Bertholdt asked.

"It's not stopping," added Reiner. "Why are Mikasa and Eren getting ready to fire a weapon in here?"

"We better get out of here," urged Marco. "Everyone! We need to evacuate the area!"

Chaos erupted as everyone rushed toward the exits. The Yeager pilots quickly departed and followed the crowd, Annie casting a glare at Genesis Titan.

"Now I understand why Erwin was so reluctant to let Eren become a Yeager pilot," said Ymir, as they made way for a safe zone. "He doesn't seem to be getting a whole lot done."

"You have to feel sorry for him, though." Marco shook his head. "He watched his parents get killed by a Kaiju a few years ago in Shiganshina."

"How many years ago was this?"

"Seven," said Marco to Christa.

"Who was deployed then?" Christa asked. "There was only one Kaiju that attacked Shiganshina seven years ago."

"Varugo," filled in Reiner. "Nasty thing. It looked like a lobster, except uglier."

"Huge claws," added Bert.

"Well, it probably would have been the most recent model," reasoned Annie. "And seven years ago, it might have been a Mark IV."

"It was a Mark IV," said Jean, finally putting the pieces together. "And not just any Mark IV."

* * *

Mikasa could have sworn that if she squinted, she could see herself through the honeycomb glass of the Conn-Pod, synchronizing moves with Levi. Genesis Titan moved swiftly, evading Varugo's gargantuan pinchers. Their blades only glanced off the edges of the Kaiju's thick outer hide, so they later aimed for short, deep blows located in the Kaiju's joints, or other areas where the armour was thinner.

Eventually, the Kaiju fell, its carcass raising an enormous cloud of dust.

"My first deployment," said Mikasa to Eren. The present Eren, who stood slack-jawed, still pointing his outreached hand toward his memory of the Kaiju. Mikasa felt his tears pouring down her face. "It was my first deployment and first kill."

Eren made no response, but sank down to his knees. Mikasa crouched down beside him and gathered him into her arms. The Drift was immediately cut short as the people in the command center finally managed to take them offline before the cannon could fire.

Eren stared into space, his eyes watering. Mikasa pried off his helmet and held him close. "It'll be okay," she whispered. "You're going to be fine."

* * *

 _"—you can't seriously be thinking of pairing us up with them! This mission is not some training exercise that you can solve with just taking them offline! If they screw up, we're all dead! He's too inexperienced and she's out of practice! I'm not dying to save their sorry asses._ "

Mikasa could hear Annie's raised voice from outside Erwin's door. Everyone could hear Annie's voice, even the people at the other end of the hall.

"We screwed up, didn't we." Eren sounded uncharacteristically defeated.

"Everyone always screws up their first Drift," replied Mikasa. "Levi threw up and I cried myself to sleep for a week."

"You still do," said Eren softly.

* * *

**Excerpt from** _strong >BEGINNINGS: THE UNOFFICIAL HISTORY OF THE YEAGER PROGRAM_

Another thing to keep in mind about Drifting is the side-effect. Some pilots experience "Ghost Drifting", a phenomenon in which the link is said to remain despite a lack of connection to the system.

Pilots undergoing Ghost-Drifting may find themselves attuned to the emotions and instincts of their partners. On occasion, this Drift may even extend to their Yeagers. There have been several reports of Yeagers making minuscule movements even without the aid of a Pilot.

However, even more surprising than unmanned moving Yeagers, is the influence of the Drift on its pilots. Over time, some pilots may adopt traits from one another. These can vary, from mannerisms, to language, and even occasional personality traits.

* * *

"I still do," said Mikasa.

Annie stomped out of the office, casting glares at Mikasa and Eren. "I won't let you two on that mission."

"Like hell you won't," Eren shot back. "You're not Erwin. You can't stop us."

"But your little stunt will," responded Annie. "I'm not dying for you. None of us are."

Mikasa stepped between the two. At the touch of her hand, Eren calmed instantly. "Hey guys. Let's not fight before we even start working together."

Annie took off, but not before narrowing her eyes at Eren who glowered right back.

"Nice call," said Levi from inside Erwin's office. "We don't want you guys fighting amongst each other. We have bigger things to worry about."

"Like what we're going to do about Genesis Titan," added Erwin. "Mikasa, Eren. Come in."

The two walked into the office, noting its simplicity and utter lack of any decoration. There wasn't even a single photo. It was just like any other room in the headquarters: concrete walls, a standard-issue bed, and a desk. The only difference between this room and say, a Ranger's room, was the size and the large bay windows that offered a beautiful view of Trost Harbour.

"Sit down," said Erwin, facing the windows.

The two sat.

"It's my fault," said Mikasa. "I went out of phrase first."

"No," said Erwin. "It's my fault." He turned to Eren with a stern, but not unkind expression. "I should've kept my promise to your mother."

"I wasn't in any danger!" Eren protested.

"But you put us all in danger," said Levi, leaning on the wall behind them. "We can't risk that. Mikasa," he turned to her, "you should know that better than anyone."

Mikasa ducked her head. "Are you going to find new pilots for Genesis Titan?"

"Not pilots," said Erwin. "Pilot."

Eren stood up, the chair he was sitting in clattered to the ground. "So, this is it? I make one mistake and I'm not allowed to pilot anymore?"

"Sir," supplied Mikasa, "you can't do this. Our neural handshake was strong." She looked to Levi for support.

"As much as I hate to admit it, they did have a good mind meld going on." Levi shrugged. "The brat just needs to learn to let the Drift pass."

"I will learn," promised Eren. "If you give me the chance."

"If this were any other situation, I might be more lenient. Contrary to what you may believe, I do think you would make a good pilot." Erwin turned around and for the first time, Mikasa noticed the dark shadows underneath his eyes. "But, putting you in that Yeager would put us all at risk."

Eren began walking out, but was stopped by Levi. "Address your superiors, brat."

"Permission to be dismissed, _sir_?"

Erwin sighed. "Permission granted."

As Eren left, Erwin turned to Mikasa. "Get some rest. We'll find you another pilot."

Mikasa clutched the arms of her chair. "I don't want another pilot. You can't keep siphoning all these pilots through me! Eren and I had a strong handshake! He's trained hard and I know he can do this."

"My word will be the last on this," said Erwin. "And that word is no. You can leave now, Ackerman."

"Sir, I can keep my promise, I swear."

" _You can leave now, Ackerman_."

* * *

"Do you prefer me or Eren?"

Mikasa sat up and banged her head on the low ceiling. Rubbing the spot, she leaned over the side of Levi's bunk bed. "What?"

"Me or the shitty brat?" Asked Levi, looking through some personnel files, though Mikasa could tell he wasn't really reading them.

"In what context?"

"As a pilot, of course."

"You can't expect me to answer that," said Mikasa. "I like you both. Besides, I haven't even truly piloted Genesis Titan with Eren."

"But, you _like_ me, don't you?"

Mikasa slid down the ladder and walked up behind Levi. "Are you jealous?"

Levi shuffled through the files even quicker. Mikasa was positive he wasn't even looking at them. "Of course not. I just don't want your relationship with the brat to be strained because you prefer me."

"You're jealous," concluded Mikasa, smiling. "You're _jealous_."

Levi scoffed. "You're spending almost every night with me. I couldn't be jealous, even if I tried."

Putting up one of the discarded files, Mikasa gently tapped Levi's head with it. "But, you are."

And in the room next door, Christa Lenz sighed as she heard the _bang_ of furniture falling over like she did every other day. "They're at it, again." She said to Ymir.

Ymir, who was reading magazines on Christa's bed, let out a bark of laughter. "I wonder when they're going to realize we all know they're an item."

Christa looked over at her partner with a smile. "Hopefully before everyone realizes we're an item."

Ymir averted her eyes from the brightness that was Christa's stunning visage.

"I'm kind of excited," blurted out Christa out of the blue. "To pilot a Yeager, I mean. After all, I have been training for such a long time. Are you excited too, Ymir?"

Ymir didn't answer.

"I mean, it's horrible what the Kaiju are doing, obviously. But, this is a chance to help others!" Christa's smile wavered.

"Shut up," said Ymir.

"What?"

"It's okay to cry if you're scared." Ymir flipped a page of her magazine aggressively. "I'm scared. We're all scared. We all want to save the world, otherwise we wouldn't be here. Though, I don't really care why anybody's here, as long as they're here."

Christa's eyes welled up. "I want to fight them," she choked out. "But, I don't know if I can. We've never been deployed before. The previous pilots of Striker Angel just died and we were the only ones with Drift compatibility and enough training available."

"You're not alone, at least," said Ymir. "And I promise you don't have to be."

Christa rubbed her eyes, dragging her fist across her face.

"Here." Ymir shoved a box of tissues at her. "You don't have to worry."

"Thanks, Ymir."

"Oi, don't hug me so tightly."

"Sorry."


	8. Double Event

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos, bookmarks, etc! Comments are greatly, greatly appreciated.

Hanji gazed at the monitor over Armin's shoulder in shock. "I don't believe it. I mean, I do. I was the one who predicted it. But, I still can't believe it."

Armin gulped. "We better tell Erwin right away. You should probably also inform him about your new findings."

Hanji nodded and stood up straight. "I'll let him know. We also need to reset the war clock, then." They were referring to the enormous timer that hung above the entrance to the hangar. It stood as a reminder to humanity that they were at war and with every resetting of the clock, another battle awaited them.

As Hanji left, Armin stayed glued to the screen, hoping to catch a glimpse of what categories the two Kaiju were. According to Hanji, the monsters were silicon-based, making it difficult to track via infrared.

Once he managed to figure out the size of the beasts, Armin's eyes widened. "Category IV's."

* * *

Levi flipped through another personnel file, his demeanor suggesting he was bored of the entire process. Tossing the documents onto the growing pile that was Erwin's desk, he sighed and put his one good foot up on the table. "What use is this? We all know the brat's the best choice."

Erwin sighed, his face barely visible behind the stack of files. "There's got to be another person who's Drift compatible with her."

"I was in Mikasa's mind for years," said Levi, "and I know her better than anyone. I guarantee you that the Yeager brat is our best choice."

"I cannot possibly let him in Genesis Titan. The risk is too great."

Levi scoffed. "Since when are you afraid to make sacrifices?" Taking note of the dark expression that crossed Erwin's face, he rolled his eyes. "This is about what you promised Carla and Grisha, isn't it?"

Erwin shook his head.

"Bullshit. I'll bet you already told Mikasa about that promise."

This time, Erwin nodded gravely.

Levi lifted his head back, throwing a hand over his face. "You can't let someone else shoulder a burden that was meant for you! Knowing Mikasa, that's all she's going to think about. She is going to lay her life on the line for that kid, and that's probably why he's safest with her!" Clenching his fists, he tried his best to keep his anger to a simmering level. Rage would do nothing to convince Erwin of anything.

"It's not about that promise," said Erwin. "This is about making the best choice for all of us."

"And that best choice is letting Mikasa pilot with Eren Yeager! Have you lost your mind or are you too scared to take a chance?"

Erwin stood up abruptly, papers flying in every direction. His face, though shaded by the dim lighting in the room, was filled with a tightly constrained fury. "Do not be fooled, Rivaille," he said, his voice low and threatening. "I am not one to be trifled with or made a mockery of. This is not about me being too scared to make a sacrifice. This is about me keeping a promise I made to someone who saved humanity, and carrying on his duty to protect us all. This is about me making the right decisions to defend humankind."

"Then, make the right decisions," insisted Levi.

Erwin sat back and rubbed his temples. "I know that," he said. Before he could speak again, Hanji burst into his office, glasses askew.

"Sir!" Hanji yelled. "We've got a double event."

Levi leapt off the chair. "What? That's not possible. We've never had a double event before."

"There's a first time for everything," said Hanji to Levi. Then, they turned to Erwin. "Sir, we're going to have to deploy everyone. Armin's telling me we have two category IV's approaching from the Breach and heading for Trost."

Erwin nodded. "Deploy the crews. Except for Genesis Titan."

Levi resisted the urge to throw his hands up in the air. Instead, he ground the heel of his good foot into the ground and glared at Erwin. The man looked back resolutely, his expression betraying nothing but the calm façade he usually adopted.

"That's an order."

"Yes sir." Levi gave a mock-salute and strode from the office, kicking over stacks of files as he did so. Though he wanted to keep Mikasa as far away from the danger as possible, doing so would be stifling. He knew she wanted to protect the people she cared about; they all wanted that. Levi was aware of Mikasa's priorities and her loyalty to humankind trumped her own well-being.

"What is it?" Erwin asked Hanji. Judging by their shuffling and fidgeting, Erwin supposed they had more to say.

"I've found out something surprising about the Kaiju," said Hanji, laying out the data on Erwin's cluttered desk. "Though, I'm not completely sure of it. I mean, it's just a hypothesis."

"Can you get to the point?"

"Sorry," said Hanji. "Anyways, I believe I've found a weakness of the Kaiju. I can't really explain it since their body structure is so different to ours, but I believe that if you make a deep enough incision along the back of their necks, it would paralyze them and in some cases, it's fatal."

"A deeper incision would behead them."

"True, except that beheadings don't always work. Remember Hellion?" Hanji, of course, was referring to the category IV Kaiju that possessed the ability to regenerate its limbs. It had taken two Yeagers over the course of nine and a half hours to take it down. One of those Yeagers had been Armoured Omen.

"So, what's so special about the neck?"

"Well, I looked into data surrounding Hellion, including video footage, and found that although the fatal blow was to the heart, it was only executed _after_ Foxtrot Wrath had made that incision on the back of its neck. Then, when I correlated it with other Kaiju attacks, I found many markings on corpses that would suggest their weak point is their neck."

"Go on," prompted Erwin.

"I highly suggest your Rangers aim for the back of the neck. If it does indeed paralyze the Kaiju, they would have bought enough time to land a fatal blow. However, that area can be heavily armoured and may require the use of a tough blade."

"I'll let Armoured Omen, Midnight Blaze, and Striker Angel know."

Hanji placed their hands on Erwin's desk. "You'll need Genesis Titan. It has the best blades out of the four."

"Genesis Titan is out of commission for this battle," said Erwin. "And I will stand by my decision." He told Hanji's slightly hopeful face.

"Erwin…" Hanji sighed. "Don't do this."

"I will stand by my decision," repeated Erwin. "And that is final."

* * *

"What's going on?" Asked Christa, wiping the sleep from her eyes. "We just got the alert now and came running."

"We've got a double event," said Armin grimly to the pilots in front of him. Bert deflated and leaned into Reiner, who in turn, wrapped an arm around Annie. Ymir touched her hand to the inner part of Christa's wrist. Marco and Jean just looked at each other and nodded gravely.

"What does it look like?" Asked Marco.

"Two category IV's." Everyone groaned. "Nicknamed Voidstalker and Festeredge."

"Pilots!" Erwin Smith strode into Mission Control. "To your battle stations! Armin and I will update you from there."

As the group grumpily filed out, Jean noticed something. "Where's Mikasa?" He craned his neck, hoping to see a flash of short black hair streaked with red. Either she was already suited up, or she was still on her way.

"She's not going to on this mission with you," explained Erwin. "She doesn't have a pilot, yet."

"What about Eren?"

A muscle in Erwin's jaw jumped. Jean chose to leave it at that.

* * *

"Pilots, do you copy?"

Ymir flicked the switch from inside the Conn-Pod of Striker Angel. "We copy. Striker Angel is good to go." At the pause, Ymir assumed that the other two sets of pilots were ready as well.

"Pilots, the two Kaiju are headed for Trost. You will have to stop them within the Miracle Mile."

The Miracle Mile referred to the ten mile expanse of ocean that stretched from the edge of Trost Harbour, outwards. It was rightfully named, as any pilot who managed to kill a Kaiju within that distance—before allowing it to make land—would require a miracle to do so. Only several Yeagers had achieved such a feat. Of these were Genesis Titan, Armoured Omen, Midnight Blaze, and Delta Melee.

"Copy," said Christa. She looked over at Ymir. "Are you ready?" Her hands were trembling, out a combination of fear and anticipation. Part of her yearned to take down the beast and contribute to humanity, but the other part of her wanted to hide beneath her covers and wait until the fight blew over. However, Christa's place was here, in the Yeager with Ymir. She'd made the decision to join this battle and she wasn't about to run away.

Ymir nodded, swaying slightly. The Yeagers, hooked up to several helicopters, were being carried over the water to where the Kaiju had emerged with the exception of Midnight Blaze, who was fast enough to walk over.

"Midnight Blaze, you are to stand down unless absolutely necessary. We require your services for the Breach and cannot afford to lose you at this moment."

Ymir rolled her neck side to side. "First deployment," she said, more to herself than Christa. "You ready to kick some Kaiju ass?"

Christa smirked, a strange smile that looked slightly out of place on her. "Ready."

Ymir could feel Christa's fear, like a cold trickle of water that slowly dripped down her neck. Maybe it was a combination of her and Christa's fear. Ymir couldn't tell whose emotions were whose.

"Let's do this," she said, clenching her fist and allowing Striker Angel to do the same.

The lines that secured them to the helicopters were cut and with a great splash, Striker Angel hit the water, unfurling its wings slightly to slow its descent. To their left, Armoured Omen flexed its huge fingers, the enormous dome that was its head shining under the bright helicopter lights. Far behind them stood Midnight Blaze, keeping its limbs loose in case it needed to make a run for it.

The first Kaiju rose from the water when the Yeagers made contact. Voidstalker was bulky with a knobbed head and spikes protruding from its shoulders. As it began its run toward the Yeagers, it dragged its fists along the water, similar to a gorilla.

"Incoming!" Ymir shouted.

Armoured Omen locked onto Voidstalker and the two grappled briefly before the Yeager's third arm lashed out with a sturdy punch. The Kaiju reeled back, roaring at Armoured Omen, who'd slunk back into its formation.

"Second Kaiju approaching." Armin's voice echoed in the Conn-Pod.

"We're on it," assured Christa.

Festeredge was the longest Kaiju to date. Though lacking the mass of Voidstalker, it made up for weight with its scorpion-like tail. And unlike most of the Kaiju, which were bipedal, Festeredge walked on all fours. When it saw the Yeagers, it screeched, its bottom jaw splitting into two parts.

"Lovely," said Ymir. "Another one."

* * *

"How're they holding up?" Erwin asked Armin.

Armin eyes flickered between the flashing cursors on the screen. "Armoured Omen has engaged Voidstalker and Striker Angel is fighting Festeredge." He turned to Erwin with a sigh. "These Kaiju are category IV's, Erwin. We need all the help we can get."

It was at this moment that Mikasa rushed into mission control, her eyes nearly black with rage. She impatiently blew a lock of hair from her face. "Why aren't we out there with the other Yeagers?" Eren trailed in behind her, his brows drawn together angrily.

"This isn't the right time to be talking about this," said Erwin.

Mikasa moved to grab Erwin by the arm, but felt a hand slip into her own. To her surprise, Eren kept her back. His face, though doing a poor job of concealing his rage, was still.

"The Yeagers we deployed will do their job," insisted Erwin. "They do not need your assistance."

"Um, I hate to break it to you guys," Armin interrupted, "but you shouldn't sound too sure of that." He pointed to the live feed of the fight, being broadcasted in mission control from a camera mounted on the Yeagers as well as a few circling choppers overhead. "Festeredge just spat something at Armoured Omen."

"What?" Erwin rushed to the screen. "Where's Hanji?"

"Here, here!" Hanji rolled their chair over to Erwin's side. "What's this?"

"Festeredge was just engaged with Striker Angel, but they managed to evade and began targeting Armoured Omen. Now, they've spat something at them and I'm not sure what it is," explained Armin.

Hanji's face fell. "Oh no."

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Ymir panted, itching to wipe the sweat that had gathered under her arms and behind her knees.

"Did Festeredge just _spit_?" Christa's voice was just as surprised as Ymir's, but that was to be expected of pilots during a Drift.

"Armoured Omen!" Ymir called into the radio. "What the hell is going on?"

* * *

"Shit!" Annie swore as Voidstalker took another swipe at them. Her body was jerked forward, but the rigs in the Conn-Pod limited her movement.

"That thing just spat something at us!" Bert pointed to Festeredge.

"What the hell?" Reiner echoed their sentiments. "Oh shit."

"It's acid," breathed Annie.

"Don't let it reach the nuclear reactor!" Bert began to move back, prompting Annie and Reiner to do the same.

Outside, Armoured Omen took a few slow steps back, but it was too slow for the agile Festeredge, who tore at the melting iron with its four-clawed hands. The Yeager tried to grab at the Kaiju, but the monster was too quick for the mech, dodging its fists and continuing to claw at it.

Striker Angel finally unveiled its wings and took to the sky. Loading its cryo cannons, it shot at both Voidstalker and Festeredge. The larger of the two Kaiju turned its back to the spray, shielding itself from the worst of it, while Festeredge shrieked indignantly. Taking note of the small Yeager, it peeled itself away from Armoured Omen and spread its arms wide, revealing wings strikingly similar to that of a pterodactyl.

It took a few flaps, but Festeredge managed to achieve lift. Soon enough, it was flying with a speed that was nearly on par with Striker Angel. The pilots in Striker Angel tried their best to avoid the Kaiju and the spray of acid that kept shooting from its mouth, but soon found that they were unmatched.

Meanwhile, Armoured Omen was being decimated by Voidstalker below.

* * *

"Erwin!" Jean's voice—tinny and furious—sounded over the intercom. "We're going to engage the Kaiju. Armoured Omen is getting destroyed and Striker Angel can't handle this on their own!"

"Do not engage!" Erwin replied. "We cannot afford to lose you!"

"Erwin," begged Armin. "Those pilots are going to _die_ if Midnight Blaze doesn't intervene."

"Arlert, do not let your personal feelings get in the way of this."

"We're engaging!" Marco's voice, uncharacteristically angry.

Armin sat back with a relieved sigh.

Eren squeezed Mikasa's hand.

Levi looked over at the two, but said nothing.

Hanji reached out and grabbed the mic. "Aim for the back of their necks!" They yelled. "Aim for the back of the necks!"

* * *

As Armoured Omen lay still in the water, Voidstalker began ripping its limbs off. From their vantage point in the sky, Christa prayed that the pilots were safe, but knew it was futile. Taking a deep breath, she prevented any tears from spilling. She'd mourn for them later.

"To the right!"

Christa snapped to attention and with Ymir, maneuvered their Yeager to the left. A few stray drops of acid hit the outer hull of the machine. The metal began to hiss, the acid dissolving it.

"We can't outfly this thing," said Ymir. "And every time we shoot the cryo cannon, it just avoids it."

"Aim for the back of their necks! Aim for the back of the necks!"

"Was that Hanji?" Christa asked.

"I think it was," said Ymir. "What've we got to lose?"

"Absolutely nothing by this point." The two looked at each other, looked _into_ each other, and nodded. With the Drift, they didn't need to speak in order for a plan to formulate.

As Festeredge gained altitude on Striker Angel, it folded its own wings in and dived for the machine. Striker Angel stayed on its course, letting the Kaiju fall toward it and just before it could make contact, the Yeager unfurled its wings as fast as it could, putting them far above Festeredge who turned its neck to roar at it. Striker Angel, literally having the upper hand in this situation, plummeted toward the Kaiju, a blade emerging from its right hand. As it neared the monster, it slashed at the back of its neck, a long incision large enough to provoke a loud scream. And then, it stopped. The Kaiju froze.

"It's stopped moving," said Christa. "Ymir!"

Ymir nodded and together, they punched a missile through the head of the Kaiju. While the creature hit the water, creating huge waves, Striker Angel hovered above the sea.

"We did it," breathed Christa. "Our first kill."

"We killed the bastard," said Ymir. "We made our first kill."

And at that moment, Voidstalker emerged from the ocean where it'd been hiding and grabbed the Yeager by its leg. As it held the mech, it ripped off one of the legs and tossed it. Striker Angel aimed a cannon at the Kaiju, but that too, was torn off. In one last attempt, it opened its wing to take flight, but clearly this Kaiju had learned and it pulled one of the wings clean off the shoulder.

In the distance, Midnight Blaze ran as fast as they could toward the two, but their speed was hindered by the water.

Ymir and Christa were jerked from side to side as Voidstalker continued their assault. Weakly, they held up the arms of Striker Angel to prevent any damage to the Conn-Pod, but they weren't fast enough. Grasping the head within its large hands, Voidstalker yanked it out. The body of the Yeager went limp.

From within the Conn-Pod, Ymir reached her hand out toward Christa, who in turn, stretched her arm as far as it would go. Their hands never made it. With a victory cry, Voidstalker crushed the Conn-Pod between its meaty hands.

* * *

"Shit! We just lost Striker Angel!"


	9. Vengeance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter, I addressed the issue of Annie being OOC when confronting Erwin about Mikasa and Eren's compatibility. I found my notes regarding that and realized that it was intentional on my part. Earlier that chapter, I'd mentioned the concept of the Ghost Drift and how some pilots adopted traits of their co-pilots after years of Drifting. In that sense, Annie has sorta taken on some of Reiner's more confrontational characteristics. Hope that made sense. Anyways, please enjoy.

"We just lost Striker Angel!"

Mikasa gripped Eren's hand tightly and tried not to think about its pilots. Tried not to remember Christa and how kind she was to Mikasa despite Mikasa being nothing more than a washed-up has been. Tried not to remember Ymir and her harsh, but truthful words that kept Mikasa grounded.

"The head was completely crushed," said Armin. Despite the numerous pilot deaths he'd witnessed, he still found that he was shocked by every single one. It wasn't easy to watch your friends get crushed to death by a monster hell-bent on destroying humanity.

"What about Armoured Omen?" Erwin asked.

Armin cleared his throat. "I still have visuals on them, but they're not in great shape. Midnight Blaze has just started to engage Voidstalker so the Kaiju won't attack Armoured Omen, but they've sustained incredibly heavy damage."

"It's doing something!" Screeched Hanji, pointing at the live feed. "Voidstalker! Something's not right."

"What are you talking about, Hanji?"

* * *

"Son of a bitch!" Yelled Jean.

"Jean, control yourself," said Marco.

"They killed Christa and Ymir!"

"And they'll kill us if we're not in control."

Jean looked over at his partner. "They were just kids, Marco. Christa wasn't even finished at the academy."

Marco steeled himself. "Then, let's take this son of a bitch down."

Due to its pilots, Midnight Blaze had adopted a style of fighting that was similar to boxing. Settling into a guard position, the Yeager lashed out with a jab and struck Voidstalker on the jaw. The Kaiju staggered back. Shaking its head, the odd structure adorning its temple began to spark and a shockwave burst from the Kaiju. Midnight Blaze shook violently as coils of electricity snaked up its body and curled around its limbs. Then, it slumped forward, the lights in the cockpit going dark. Somehow, the Yeager had been taken offline.

* * *

In the Mission Control, every machine had gone black. The shockwave produced by the Kaiju had somehow shorted the electricity.

Eren ran to one of the windows overlooking Trost Harbour. "Midnight Blaze has stopped moving!"

"That electrical wave generated by Voidstalker did something," said Armin. "I won't be able to get any of this online for at least an hour. It's because the Yeagers are digital! All of the newer ones are digital!"

"Ours isn't." Mikasa spoke up. "Genesis Titan runs on a nuclear reactor. We're analog."

Everyone in Mission Control stared at her. Levi gave her a tiny smile that, by other, could have been mistaken for a twitch. Armin solemnly nodded and adjusted the microphone to alert the tech crew. Eren's grip on her hand was almost painfully tight, but she barely registered the pain.

"Fine," said Erwin finally. "Armin."

"Tech crew to Bay 2! Genesis Titan must be ready for deployment!"

* * *

"Shit!" Jean began unbuckling the straps that kept him locked into the rig. "That goddamn monster."

"Don't disengage!" Marco shouted, but it was too late. Jean stepped down from the rig and at that moment, Voidstalker slammed into the side of Midnight Blaze. Marco was only jerked harshly to one side, but Jean flew through the air, his body hitting the wall of the Conn-Pod. He slunk to the ground, groaning.

"Jean!" Marco deftly slipped out of the rig.

"My arm!" Jean tried to sit up, cradling his right arm gingerly. "Shit!"

"Don't move it around too much." Marco's hand ghosted over the injured limb, trying to find a way to keep it still.

"What are we going to do about the Kaiju?" Asked Jean through gritted teeth. "We're sitting ducks, here."

Out of the corner of his eye, Marco spotted a flicker of high-beam lights. Climbing up to the top of the Conn-Pod, he popped open the porthole, squinting in the darkness. The rain started to pool into the head of the Yeager, soaking Marco's hair and trickling down the neck of his suit. "They've deployed Genesis Titan!"

Using the wall for support, Jean stood up and ambled over to where Marco was. With a bit of help, he managed to climb the ladder. "I get it," he said. "They're nuclear, aren't they? They won't be affected by that shockwave."

Genesis Titan was released from the helicopters. Hitting the water with a huge splash, it faced the growling Kaiju and slammed its right fist into the open palm of its left hand in a show of strength. The gesture was all it took for the Kaiju to begin charging them. Genesis Titan awaited the beast with open hands and right as the two made contact, they leaned forward. Soon, the two stood face-to-face. Voidstalker snapped at Genesis Titan, but the Yeager was too far and it pushed even harder against the hands of the Kaiju.

"Go Genesis Titan!" Cheered Jean. "Kill that son of a bitch!"

Genesis Titan extracted the blade from its right arm, the weapon piercing the hand of the Kaiju who leapt back. The Yeager lunged forward and with its left fist, punched the Kaiju in the gut.

Voidstalker took this opportunity to wrap its hands around the waist of Genesis Titan and lift it above its head. With an almighty roar, it tossed the Yeager away from it. The mech managed to get itself into a kneeling position as it made contact with the water. Converting its left hand into a Plasma Cannon, it rushed the Kaiju and shot at its shoulder.

Voidstalker snarled and once more, the tendrils on its head began sparking with electricity. However, before another shockwave could be discharged, Genesis Titan grabbed Voidstalker by its head and began pulling at the tendrils. The Kaiju tried to shake off the Yeager, but their grip was too strong. With a terrible scream, the Kaiju was separated from its biological weapon. The water surrounding the water turned a silvery shade of blue.

Inside the Yeager, Mikasa and Eren were locked in a Drift so strong, they didn't even need to make eye contact with one another to carry out their actions. Each time Mikasa moved, Eren copied the motion perfectly, and vice versa.

 _We can do this_. Eren's voice in Mikasa's head was comforting and motivating all at the same time, despite the fact that he wasn't truly speaking. It was more of a shared emotion, passing between the two. _If we fight, we'll survive. And if we survive, we'll win_.

They tossed the glowing tendrils, still glowing with electricity away from them. _This world is a cruel place_. Mikasa noted, watching the Kaiju writhe with pain. _But it's beautiful_. She wheezed with effort as they drove the blade through the Kaiju's other shoulder, severing the limb from the beast.

In retaliation, Voidstalker leaned forward and sunk its teeth into Genesis Titan's right wrist and with a twist of its powerful neck, partially tore the bladed hand from the Yeager's body. The sword hung loosely, connected by several pieces of machinery and wire. In the cockpit of the mech, both Mikasa and Eren thrashed about in pain, as the circuitry suit allowed them to feel whatever what happening to the Yeager. This measure, though cruel, forced the pilots into fighting harder, almost as if they themselves were the Yeager.

Voidstalker continued its assault on the Yeager. This time, it was aiming for the head. Mikasa flinched, the memories of Bonecleaver all too vivid in her mind's eye.

_Plasma Cannon charging. Ten seconds until fully charged._

"Our sword is gone," said Mikasa. "And our Plasma Cannon still needs to charge. We're out of options, here!"

Eren smiled, the corners of his green eyes crinkling happily. "Not on my watch!" He reached forward and quickly shuffled through the touchscreen menu on the HUD.

 _Coolant selected._ The calm voice of the AI recited.

"Coolant?" Mikasa turned to Eren with a confused look. He only winked back and suddenly, it was all clear.

The coolant system was useful for a variety of things. Besides preventing the nuclear reactor from overheating, it also helped to maintain the temperature within the Yeager and direct the flow of seawater. And if the occasion called for it, it could be used as an improvised weapon.

Vents on the sides of Genesis Titan opened up and the coolant hissed with a consistency similar to steam. As it made contact with the Kaiju, ice began to form on its scaly hide. Using the stump of its ruined right arm, Mikasa and Eren swung the appendage and struck the Kaiju on one of these icy spots. The blow was enough to distract the Kaiju.

_Plasma Cannon charged._

Bringing the left hand of Genesis Titan up to the chest of Voidstalker, Eren and Mikasa fired. The Plasma Cannon blasted a hole through the beast. Voidstalker seized up and slowly began to tilt backwards until it hit the water.

"YEAH!" Came a tiny voice.

Mikasa and Eren turned to where Midnight Blaze was standing. Even from this distance in the pouring rain, they could make out the shape of two tiny people standing on the head of the Yeager, waving their arms about.

"Wait," Mikasa said to Eren. "I think Voidstalker is dead, but we better make sure."

Eren nodded and together, they emptied the clip, shooting beam after beam of plasma into the corpse of the Kaiju. Once the cannon had burned out, the Kaiju was nothing more than a hulking mass with no discernible features. There was hardly even any blood surrounding the beast, as the Plasma Cannon cauterized each wound to prevent the toxic substance from spreading.

"We should go check to see if any of the other pilots survived other than Jean and Marco," said Eren.

"Good idea."

Genesis Titan gingerly navigated the water. As it approached Striker Angel, it searched for any movement from the mech.

"Where's the head?" Asked Eren.

It didn't take them long to find it. Lying only about a kilometre from its body, the Conn-Pod of Striker Angel lay floating in the shallower waters of Trost Harbour. It was completely crushed, the glass visor shattered and wafting in pieces. There were no survivors here.

"Armoured Omen?" Mikasa asked, her voice cracking slightly. "What about them?"

Wordlessly, they changed their course of direction and headed for the wreck that was Armoured Omen. This mech was missing two of its three arms and the third, like Genesis Titan's arm, was only loosely attached. However, the head was mostly intact.

A little ways away from Armoured Omen were three black pods.

Mikasa quickly scrambled to flick the radio on. "Mission Control, send out the choppers! Send out the choppers! There are three black pods near Armoured Omen and we believe some of the crew may have escaped!"

* * *

When Armin heard Mikasa's frantic message over the intercom, he swore his heart stopped beating for a second. Armoured Omen meant Annie and sending out the choppers meant there was a chance she was still alive.

Beside him, Hanji issued a message to the helicopters.

Levi, who'd been stiff the entire time Genesis Titan had been battling, finally relaxed. Mikasa was coming back. She was probably a little banged up and maybe a little more than grumpy, but she was coming back and that was all that really mattered.

If Levi hadn't been so distracted by the thought of Mikasa coming home, he might have snuck a look at Erwin and he might have seen the other man crack a tiny, tiny triumphant smile.

* * *

When Mikasa and Eren returned to the Shatterdome, they were given a heroes' welcome. People they hardly even knew clapped them on the backs, cheering and waving their arms about. As they made their way to the main part of the hangar, they were surrounded by a huge crowd that just seemed to grow as they walked.

Erwin stood just a little ways away from them. As they approached, he brought his hand up to his heart in a rare salute that he rarely showed to his juniors.

Mikasa briefly inclined her head to him, prompting Eren to do the same.

"That," began Erwin, waiting for the roar of the crowd to die down, "was some of the best fighting I've ever seen."

"I hate to admit it," said Levi who was standing next to him, "but I agree. Well done, Eren and Mikasa." And though he was addressing the both of them, he only had eyes for the latter.

"Unfortunately," Erwin's voice grew louder, "this was not a total victory for humanity. We lost a crew, today."

Immediately, everyone sobered.

"We don't have time to mourn," said Erwin. "Our war rages on. Reset the war clock!" He pointed to the gargantuan timer that sat above the doors to the hangar. With a series of loud clicking, the time flicked back until each number read zero. "But, we shall not let Striker Angel's efforts be in vain. We will continue fighting and _we will win._ "

An enormous cheer erupted from the audience, the sort of sound that was meant to fill everyone with a fighting spirit.

"Tech crews! Get Midnight Blaze and Genesis Titan fixed up! We have a war to fight."

Mikasa only felt empty and she stared blankly at the war clock as it slowly ticked. A sense of dread grew in the pit of her stomach.

"Mikasa," said Levi quietly. "Mikasa!"

She turned to him, her face expressionless. "Hm?"

Levi held out his hand. "Come with me."

Taking his outreached hand, Mikasa followed him through the maze of hallways. Finally, they reached the door to his room and with one hand, he yanked it open.

"You can cry, now." He closed the heavy metal door behind them.

Mikasa sank into Levi's embrace and let her tears—for Christa and Ymir and every Yeager pilot who'd ever died in the line of duty and for _Levi_ —fall.


	10. Mourning

The tech crews had managed to salvage parts of Striker Angel. Heaps of scratched metal streaked with white covered the hangar floor. Wires poked out from every tear, frazzled and tipped with splitting copper while water poured from the holes made in the Yeager.

Mikasa didn't want to watch a single moment of the process. It'd been five days since they'd saved Trost from the onslaught of Voidstalker and Festeredge, yet the events seemed all too fresh in her mind's eye.

"They're getting a larger crew to bring in the head," said Armin, handing her a cup of coffee which she gratefully accepted. His eyes were bloodshot red and his hair stuck up at odd angles, the result of overseeing the operation while spending every spare second he had with Annie.

The girl had been found alive in one of the pods ejected from Armoured Omen, but the force of the attack had left her comatose. Doctors had chalked it up to head trauma. Currently, she was taking up residence in the Medical Bay. Reiner and Bert hardly left her side, taking turns talking to her.

"The tech crew said once they bring in the head, they're going to close the hangar to the public," continued Armin. "Out of respect for Christa and Ymir."

Mikasa drew her scarf over her mouth and nose, breathing in the comforting scent of her bed. Not the bed at the Shatterdome, but at her small apartment in Shiganshina where she lived by herself in a tiny studio overlooking the city. "How's Annie?"

Armin brushed a hand through his hair, making the blonde strands stick up. "The doctors said she should come out of coma in a few days."

"That's good. Have you been getting any sleep?"

He laughed nervously. "Some."

"You should sleep. It's not good for you if you keep staying up like this. There are other people that can oversee this, you know."

Armin sighed. "Nobody wants to."

Mikasa pushed a lock of hair behind her eye and stared out at the tech crew. A large, mechanized arm streaked with the silvery-blue Kaiju blood was being brought in by vehicles. There was still a half-broken blade attached to the appendage.

Armin followed Mikasa's gaze. "Losing pilots is never easy."

"They were nice kids."

"They were," agreed Armin. "Young kids, too. Christa was supposed to graduate from the Academy this year and Ymir only finished last year."

"Have you informed their parents?"

Armin shook his head. "Erwin's taking care of that. And how are you, by the way?"

Mikasa shrugged. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

"This is the first time I've piloted since Bonecleaver."

Armin leaned his head on Mikasa's shoulder. "You guys were amazing, though."

"I guess I just miss piloting with Levi," she said.

"Is that why you've been avoiding Eren?"

She didn't reply.

"It's okay to miss Levi. You two spent years working together. It's only natural that you would instantly compare him to Eren."

"I just don't want Eren to think I don't want to pilot with him," she divulged.

"He won't," promised Armin. "I'm sure Eren worries that he won't be good enough for you."

"How do you know that?" Mikasa began absentmindedly trying to smooth down Armin's hair.

"I know Eren and I know you. And I know the _Drift_. I may not have Drifted with anybody before, but you have. I know that the Drift melds your mind with your partners and that while you can't access all of their memories, you share emotions. If you were feeling worried, Eren probably was too."

Mikasa hummed.

"And you need to talk to him. Driving a wedge between the two of you is only going to hinder your performance."

"I should, shouldn't I?"

"Yes, Mikasa. Yes, you should, especially if you plan on Drifting with him again."

"Thanks, Armin." Mikasa wrapped her free arm around him and together, they stood huddled, watching the last remnants of Striker Angel being brought up from the sea. There was a part of Mikasa that felt bad about lying, but the other part of her that felt even worse about lying to _Armin_. Sweet Armin, who'd helped her clean her apartment and always bought her cake from a tiny bakery about an hour's drive from her house whenever he happened to be in the area.

But, at that moment, Mikasa was too tired and too stressed to care.

* * *

"Mikasa!" The loud, incessant banging at her door could only be Eren.

Mikasa rolled out of bed, dragging her covers along the door. She lazily pushed open the unlocked door. "Hm?"

"Can I come in?"

Mikasa wedged open the door even further with her outstretched hand, wordlessly permitting him entry.

Eren walked in and sat on the very corner of Mikasa's bed. "Can we talk?" His eyes strayed to the photo she had of her and Levi when they were Rangers fresh out of the Academy. Other photos—pictures of her and Armin or her and Hanji—were scattered haphazardly on the wall. Mikasa's desk was an organized mess; several novels lay in piles sorted alongside scribbled-in notebooks and stacked loose-leaf paper.

She lumbered back toward her bed, the covers still wrapped tightly around her. Mikasa curled up in the corner, only the top of her head visible. "Shoot," she said, her voice muffled.

"Are you avoiding me?" That was the nice thing about Eren. He never beat around the bush.

"I'm really tired."

Eren pulled back the sheets covering her face. "I can see that."

Mikasa mock-glared at him, huddling deeper in her cave of blankets.

"Hey Mikasa…" Eren's voice trailed slightly. He ran the palm of his hand along the concrete wall. "When we were Drifting…"

"We had a good Drift," said Mikasa. "An incredibly strong Drift."

Eren perked up. "It was!" He stretched out his body and made himself more comfortable on the bed. Mikasa shifted over to make room for him. "Hey, promise me you won't get mad if I ask."

"That depends!"

"Do you still miss piloting with Levi?"

Mikasa eyed Eren, the blanket falling from her head. "I miss piloting with him," she said carefully, watching the boy for his reaction. "But, that doesn't mean I don't like piloting with you."

"Good," said Eren, nodding resolutely. "We can kill the Kaiju more efficiently if our Drift is stronger." With a bit of an ungraceful _whump_ , he rolled onto the floor and brushed off his pants. "Do you want to get something to eat with me?"

Mikasa shook her head. "I think I'll just take a nap."

"Don't lie in bed all day."

"I know."

"I'll save you some food?"

Mikasa still shook her head. "I'll come down when I'm hungry."

Eren hovered by the door, his hand ghosting over the handle. "Alright," he conceded. "But don't stay up here all day."

"Mm." Mikasa faced the wall and drew her blanket over her head.

Eren rolled his eyes and closed the heavy metal door behind him.

When Mikasa was sure he'd left, she drew herself into an even tighter ball and pressed her fist to her mouth, trying not to think about how it felt to be locked inside the Conn-Pod as some monstrous being pried open its head to get to you. She tried not to remember the pain of Bonecleaver stabbing Genesis Titan and how it felt like there should have been blood but there was only white-hot pain and the desire to live and fight and win.

Every time she looked at Eren, she only saw the pain on his face when Voidstalker bit through the wrist of Genesis Titan. And she didn't want to see that.

"I can't protect him," she whispered lowly. "I can't even protect myself." She ghosted her fingers over the circuitry scars that ran up the side of her body—a lasting reminder of the pain she had to endure in order to survive.

There was a knock at her door. Two short raps. It was Levi.

"I saw the brat come out of your room, so I thought I'd better check on you." Like Eren, he sat at the edge of her bed, but his posture was more relaxed. "Was he being a little shit, again?"

Mikasa made a noncommittal noise at the back of her throat. She coughed lightly, hoping to prevent cover the sound of her sobbing, but it was no use in front of him.

Levi gently pried the blanket off of Mikasa, putting his hand atop hers. "Don't worry too much about the brat. He's like a goddamn cockroach. I bet you could toss him in the Breach and he'd come out unscathed."

Mikasa gave him a watery smile.

Looking down, Levi saw that her hands were covering the scars that marred her torso. "And those scars you have are a sign that you'd risk anything to protect the people you love, so there's nothing to worry about. Between your self-sacrificing nature and the brat's tendency to avoid death, the two of you are going to be just fine."

"I just," Mikasa began, "I guess I didn't realize what it meant." At Levi's confused blinking—once for understanding and twice for bewilderment—she clarified, "getting into a Yeager, again."

"It has been a long time," said Levi. "Three years is a fricking long time."

"I thought it would be easy. Or, as easy as piloting a Yeager gets. I'd forgotten how big the Kaiju were."

"It's our job to remember, Mikasa." Levi leaned over to her desk and straightened out the papers. "We remember those big-ass monsters so others don't have to."

"We have a lot to shoulder for humanity."

"We were the idiots that signed up for this." Sliding in next to her, Levi ran a hand through her hair. "You need a shower."

"I showered this morning."

"It sure doesn't feel like it," remarked Levi. "I'm going to take one now. Care to join me?"

Mikasa leisurely shrugged the blanket off and loosened the top two buttons on her pajamas. "I suppose another shower wouldn't hurt."

"That's the spirit."

Finally, thought Mikasa. With the newfound understanding between her and Eren, as well as the renewed relationship with Levi on the rise, maybe things were starting to look up.

She couldn't have been more wrong.

"Armin?" Hanji peered over the young man's shoulder. "What are you looking at?"

"It can't be," he said. "We just had one! How can we have _two_ double events in a row?"


	11. Hell's Gate

"What seems to be the problem?" Erwin asked with the sort of tone that one would use to describe something banal, like the weather or the state of their garden.

"We have another double event." Armin looked grave. "Only five days after the last one. However, the Kaiju this time around seem to be acting oddly." The holographic display depicting the breach beeped softly, red icons hovering around the area.

"Oddly?"

"They're not going anywhere." Hanji stepped in. "They're just hanging around the breach, like they're waiting for something."

"Classifications?"

"Category IV's," supplied Armin. "Helmer and Leviathan." He pressed a few keys and the names appeared above the blinking red dots.

"This isn't right!" Hanji yelled out. "It's _supposed_ to be a triple event! There are supposed to be three of them!"

"Let's just be thankful it's not," said Armin.

"Get the pilots of Midnight Blaze and Genesis Titan suited up. Armoured Omen is in no shape to battle and will have to sit this one out," said Erwin. "Inform the pilots to say their goodbyes now." His voice grew softer at the end.

"But sir," protested Armin. "Jean broke his arm. He can't pilot Midnight Blaze."

Erwin was immovable. "Get the pilots suited up. You have your orders, Arlert."

* * *

Mikasa pulled on her tight-fitting shirt, a necessity for the drivesuit she would later don. Taking one last look around the small room that had somehow become her home in the past few weeks, she brushed her fingers over one of the more recent pictures that'd graced her wall. It was taken a few days before the double event. All of the Yeager pilots had gathered at one table in the cafeteria to celebrate Bertholdt's twenty-seventh birthday. Reiner's smile was the biggest as he had one arm slung around his boyfriend's shoulders. Even Annie, normally so sullen, wore a tiny little grin that upon first glance, may have been mistaken for a scowl.

"I'm ready," she whispered to no one in particular. "I can do this." Stepping out of her room, she walked over to Levi's and knocked on the door.

He looked uncharacteristically frazzled when he opened. "Mikasa."

"Hi," she said, shifting from foot to foot. "I'm going to be deployed pretty soon and…I just thought I should get my goodbyes over with now."

Levi nodded and opened the door further to let her in. Mikasa didn't sit anywhere, not trusting herself to leave if she got too comfortable. "Well?" He asked. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

"I'm not really sure. Whenever we had missions together, we never had to say goodbye because if anything _did_ happen, it'd happen to us together."

Reaching out, Levi brought his hand up to her cheek. "You're gonna kick some ass today, Ackerman. You're gonna protect us all."

"And if I don't?"

"You will." With his other hand, Levi drew her close and hugged her tightly. "I love you," he whispered into her neck. "So, don't die on me."

"I love you, too." Mikasa brushed her cheek against Levi's hair. "I'll try not to die." She laughed humourlessly, knowing that the chances of that were incredibly slim.

Eventually, they had to part. "I'm glad we got to work together," said Mikasa. "You were my first co-pilot and I'll never forget you."

"Shut up with the goddamn flattery," said Levi brusquely. "You're gonna make me cry, brat."

When she'd finally left Levi's room, Mikasa headed for the sick bay, knowing that in the midst of the chaos, Annie might be alone. At first, she hovered around the entrance to her room, weighing the pros and cons of her decision. Realizing that she didn't want to have any last regrets, Mikasa walked in.

The room was a stark white, a clear contrast to the grey rooms in which the pilots were assigned. A single bed was pushed up against the wall, surrounded by several machines monitoring heartbeat. Annie lay upright, flipping through a few magazines that Reiner had probably brought for her.

"Hey," whispered Mikasa.

"Ackerman. Good luck today." Annie put the magazine down and gestured for Mikasa to sit in one of the chairs near her bed.

"Thanks." Mikasa nodded. "Um, I know we don't really get along…"

"Partially my fault," admitted Annie, "but yeah, you didn't really help, either."

"Sorry about that," said Mikasa. "But, if it's not too much, can I ask you for a favour?"

Annie regarded Mikasa curiously, as if seeing the girl for the first time. "What is it?"

"It's about Armin."

Annie nodded slowly.

"We've been friends since we were kids," explained Mikasa. "And if I don't make it back—"

"I'll take care of him for you," finished Annie. With a calm look at the girl sitting across from her, she said, "you don't have to worry. I'll make sure he's okay."

Mikasa felt a stinging sensation behind her eyes, and before she knew it, she was crying. "I'm sorry," she hiccoughed. "I don't usually cry." She nodded gratefully as Annie offered her a tissue box.

"It's okay," said Annie. "You can cry all you want here. I won't tell anyone."

"Thank you," said Mikasa, the words feeling lighter than air. As she smiled at the other girl, she wondered if maybe they could've been friends in another lifetime.

* * *

"Armin, what the hell is going on here?" Jean asked, charging toward the blonde who was directing a tech crew in the hangar. His right arm was in a sling and there was a bandage over his left eyebrow. "I can't pilot Midnight Blaze with this arm." Marco followed closely behind his co-pilot.

"I know," said Armin. "Erwin just said to get the pilots ready. Those were the only orders I received."

"Do you know anything about this?" Jean asked Marco, who fidgeted slightly.

"Erwin didn't tell me anything," said Marco. "But, I think I have a good idea of what's going on."

The huge doors to the hangar opened. Standing in the entrance was Levi, Hanji, and Erwin; the latter was clad in a black drivesuit. As they strode over to the group of pilots standing by Armin, everyone's eyes were on them.

"Bodt," said Erwin sternly. "You aren't suited up."

"You're piloting?" Interrupted Jean. "No offense or anything, sir, but when's the last time you piloted a Yeager?" Mikasa elbowed him in the gut. Jean responded with a sheepish look.

"Once upon a time, I was a pilot," said Erwin. "Mike and I piloted an old Mark I named Delta Melee. I'm sure you've heard of it."

"One of the only Yeagers to stop a Kaiju within the Miracle Mile," supplied Eren. He was unusually still, the combination of excitement and fear rendering him so.

Erwin nodded in Eren's direction. "I think you'll find me more than suited to pilot with you," he said to Marco. Looking at the crowd that was watching the group with vigilant eyes, he climbed on top of Armoured Omen's foot and addressed them. "Today, we stand on the dividing line separating us from our apocalypse. Today, through the ability to _trust_ and believe in one another, we have gained the ability to combat the monsters that threaten our livelihood."

Taking a deep breath to enjoy the last bit of silence that Erwin knew he could experience, he continued. "Today is the day that we show those monsters just what humanity is capable of."

In spite of the shortness of his speech, the audience responded with a rousing cheer. Erwin silenced them with a motion of his hand and everyone immediately went back to work.

"Come," he gestured to the Marco, "let's get you suited up." As the two left the hangar, Jean followed them into the hall.

"Oi!" Jean called out before Marco could step into the elevator with Erwin. "Marco…"

Marco—after a supporting gesture from Erwin—took a few steps toward his best friend. "Hey buddy."

Jean enveloped him in a hug, paying no attention to his injured arm. Stepping back, he still held on to Marco with one hand. "There are a lot of things I still need to thank you for and I don't think I'll have enough time to say them all."

Marco smiled and shook his head. "I already know them all." He tapped his head, his smile growing sadder. "The Drift."

As Marco turned around and joined Erwin in the elevator, Jean gulped down the rising tears and spoke up. "Oi, Erwin! You treat Marco well! He's a great guy. One of a kind."

"I will," promised Erwin and with a _whoosh_ , the two were whisked out of sight.

"I'll miss you," Jean whispered to the empty elevator shaft.

* * *

"Mikasa?" Eren asked after the two had been strapped into their rigs. "Are you scared?"

Mikasa nodded, knowing that Eren would see through a lie anyways. "You always feel this way right before a mission, but knowing someone else is there to help you share the load makes it better."

Midnight Blaze and Genesis Titan swung over the surface of the ocean as helicopters were bringing them to the spot right above the breach. From Midnight Blaze's back hung the nuclear payload, a square device with the universal nuclear symbol painted on it in yellow and black. The charge looked almost comical on the Yeager, like a backpack worn by an elementary school student.

With a snap, the helicopters dropped the Yeagers into the sea. The open ports on the mechs were already sealed, preventing any water from leaking in, but the liquid also made it harder for them to move. As they approached the breach, Mikasa felt a pit of dread growing in her stomach.

"Pilots, we have two category IV's guarding the breach," said Armin. "We're calling them Leviathan and Helmer. Be on the lookout. We have a little bit of a disadvantage underwater."

"Copy that," said Eren.

"I can't see anything," said Mikasa. "It's too dark out here."

"Helmer is on your left!" Armin called out. "To your left, Genesis Titan!"

"We can't see," said Eren. "Where are they?"

"It's approaching you now! Brace for impact."

Leviathan was a Kaiju built for the water with the shape and appearance of a crocodile. Its bent feet allowed for it to swim at high speeds through the water, making it a formidable enemy. Leviathan slammed into the side of Genesis Titan and the Yeager swayed. It grabbed at a rock formation for balance, but a lower hanging rock that jutted out pierced its leg.

"Now we see it!" Said Eren. "That bastard."

"Another Kaiju approaching you, Midnight Blaze," said Armin.

Midnight Blaze turned to face the direction of Helmer, who reached for the Yeager with its three-digit claws. The rest of the Kaiju had a structure similar to a bull. Two horns curved on the side of its head and its body was stout and strong. However, unlike a bull, Helmer possessed four arms.

Midnight Blaze grappled with the Kaiju briefly before it managed to scratch at the mech. Midnight Blaze retreated, drawing closer to the glowing breach whose interior resembled lava. Suddenly, a low rumbling echoed throughout the area.

"Yeagers!" Armin's voice grew urgent. "We have another signature rising from the breach!"

"I was right," whispered Hanji. They sounded horrified. "This is a triple event."

"What category?" Asked Jean.

A moment of silence. "Mark V. Belphegor."

The biggest Kaiju to date rose from the portal like some demon out of hell. The glowing blue eyes on either side of its hammerhead shark-like cranium were slitted. The rest of the Kaiju was leathery and tough; its limbs were thick and presumably impervious to any missiles the Yeagers could throw at it. As the end of the Kaiju emerged from the breach, the pilots were horrified to see that it had three tails, each ending in a spiked tip.

"Holy shit," breathed Jean. Nobody reprimanded him for his language.

"Mikasa!" Eren called out. "Leviathan's coming back again!"

True to his word, the crocodile-like Kaiju had circled the premises and was now swimming in closer to the Yeager, hoping to have another strike at it. Its cranium was actually a tripartite jaw that opened like the petals of some morbid flower, protecting the smaller head within. As it neared Genesis Titan, the jaws parted and the creature screeched horribly.

Mikasa, not willing to go down without a fight, selected an option on the heads-up display in front of her. The retractable box-cutter blade slid down Genesis Titan's right arm, forming a limp chain. As it withdrew far enough, the blade shuddered and soon solidified into the weapon Mikasa was so fond of. "Steady yourself!" The Yeager kneeled as Leviathan swam over it and its speed, combined with the upwards-pointing weapon, caused the Kaiju to become bisected. "Hold steady!" Mikasa repeated, heaving with effort. The body of the Kaiju kept moving and soon, all three thousand, five hundred tons of it was split cleanly in half. The blood of the Kaiju formed a murky cloud over the Yeager while its entrails floated away.

"Leviathan down!" Eren yelled.

Meanwhile, Midnight Blaze was being targeted by both Helmer and Belphegor. Helmer had managed to drive one of its horns through the chest of the Yeager, causing the mech to sustain heavy damages. Midnight Blaze reacted, plowing its curled fist into the head of Helmer. The Yeager's blow glanced off the Kaiju's horns, but still managed to provoke it.

"Genesis Titan, we're requesting assistance," said Erwin, his voice strangely calm in the midst of the chaos.

"We're on our way. Eren!"

Genesis Titan made its way over to Midnight Blaze, the dent in its leg slowing it marginally. As it neared the other Yeager, Helmer took notice of it and charged. The Yeager tried to hold it back, but the damage from Leviathan was finally taking its toll. Helmer crashed its head into the mech, forcing its pilots to jerk backwards.

On the other side of the battlefield, Midnight Blaze wasn't faring much better. Despite Erwin and Marco's Drift being remarkably strong for two pilots who'd never worked together before, they were up against a powerful foe. Belphegor was unlike any Kaiju humanity had ever encountered; its intelligence far outstripped that of its companions and it seemed to understand the Yeager's weaknesses.

Midnight Blaze fruitlessly shot punches at Belphegor. The Kaiju responded with its tails, shooting them at the Yeager and wrapping its wrists in its grip. With its other tails, it stabbed the mech, creating deep cavities in the hull. Water began to seep through these gaps, dripping onto the floor of the Conn-Pod.

Utilizing its nanotube-charged brass knuckles, Midnight Blaze punched a burning hole through one of its colossal tails. The shock of the blow caused the beast to drop the Yeager and Midnight Blaze retreated back. With a screech, Belphegor leapt across the space dividing the two. As it made contact with Midnight Blaze, Kaiju blue clouding the water around it, it picked up the Yeager and shook it roughly. Midnight Blaze countered with a stout blade to the shoulder. The Kaiju twisted away, snapping the blade off the Yeager.

"Good thinking, sir!" Marco called out to Erwin, panting with exhaustion. He could feel his head throbbing horribly, the result of the force from Belphegor's shaking.

Then, Belphegor did an odd thing. Lifting its knobbed head, it let out a harsh roar akin to a whale call. Helmer, who'd previously been engaged with Genesis Titan, perked up and began swimming off to assist.

"Did it just…call it?" Asked Eren.

"Midnight Blaze, we're coming to meet you!" Mikasa said, prompting Eren to make the Yeager stand. Unfortunately, its tangle with Helmer had caused the mech to lose most of the functioning in its left leg. They moved even slower than before, their gait hobbled and stuttering.

"No!" Shouted Erwin. "Genesis Titan, stay where you are!"

"Sir, we're coming!" Echoed Eren. "We're on our way, we promise!"

"No," repeated Erwin. "If we keep fighting, we're both going to die. Mikasa, you know what we have to do."

Mikasa's face contorted into an expression of horror. "Sir, you can't. The mission—"

"Will be completed by you," finished Erwin. "You have the means to do so, Mikasa. Genesis Titan is nuclear. You said so yourself."

"Sir, you can't do this!" Eren sounded just as dismayed as Mikasa felt.

From up in Mission Control, Hanji put their head into their hands. "That idiot," they said in a rough voice uncharacteristic of their usually upbeat nature. "We have to do something!"

Levi leaned over to Hanji. "The only we can do is believe in Erwin and Marco. They're the ones who are making this choice and we have to put our faith in them and hope they won't regret it."

"What's he doing?" Jean grabbed the microphone away from Armin. "Sir, what are you doing?"

"He's going to detonate the payload," said Armin. From the moment that Belphegor had arisen from the breach, Armin knew someone would have to make that sacrifice. "He's going to sacrifice himself so that Genesis Titan can carry out the mission."

Jean's eyes widened and his grip around the stem of the microphone tightened.

"Sir," said Marco from within the Conn-Pod of Midnight Blaze. "Commander Erwin, it's been a pleasure serving with you."

"Likewise," replied Erwin.

"Erwin!" Mikasa called out, hoping her words would reach him in time. "Thank you! For not giving up on me!"

"And for giving me a chance!" Added Eren.

"You two have done a great deal for humanity," said Levi. "Your courage will give us the strength to collapse the breach and finish the Kaiju off!"

Helmer drew in closer to Belphegor.

"Marco," gulped Jean. "You did well, buddy."

"Thank you, Jean." Marco watched Erwin, whose hand was poised above the override switch that would trigger the nuclear payload attached to their back.

Helmer grew even closer. Close enough for Midnight Blaze to reach it, if it willed.

"Goodbye...brother."

Erwin flicked the switch. In his last moments of clarity, he remembered Delta Melee and the Mark I's and piloting with his best friend, Mike. He remembered their days at the Academy and the joking attitude they had toward the program. He remembered them making the cut and realizing that they were Drift compatible. He remembered Mike's marriage. And he remembered their last mission together, culminating in Mike's collapse and later, his diagnosis of cancer, a result of the poor nuclear shielding in the nuclear-powered Mark I Yeagers. Erwin's career as a Yeager pilot flashed by him in what felt like years.

And then, everything turned white and the last thing Erwin saw was Mike's smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marco and Jean aren't actually brothers. It's just that Jean considers him one, due to the close nature of their relationship.


	12. The Breach

At the sound of the explosion and the disappearance of Midnight Blaze from the hologram—indicating that they were now offline—all of Mission Control was in shock. Levi was the first to recover. Taking the microphone from Armin, he kept his voice calm and steady. "Genesis Titan, do you copy?"

Mikasa and Eren would have been swept away with the blast if not for Eren's idea of driving their sword into the ocean floor as an anchor. The strength of the blast caused all the water in the area to flow outwards, creating a circle of dry land at the bottom of the ocean. Then, the water rushed back in and Genesis Titan had to hold tight to their mainstay.

"We're alright," said Mikasa. They experimentally moved some of Genesis Titan's limbs, displeased with the lack of fluidity, but it was only to be expected after such an intense fight. "All the Kaiju were killed by the blast, so we're alright."

Levi gripped the microphone even tighter. "Are you ready to take the leap?" He asked, keeping his eyes focussed on the panel of blinking switches in front of him.

"Yes," replied Mikasa, her voice calm and steady. "We're ready."

"Mikasa…" Levi sounded like he wanted to say more, but he cut himself off before he could utter the words. "Take the leap."

Eren watched Mikasa as her fingers ghosted over the radio switch. Turning to him with a look of absolute determination, she gestured to the breach ahead. Eren nodded, but even he could feel tiny threads of regret and loss at the back of her mind.

Genesis Titan moved slowly, dragging its injured leg as it headed toward the Breach. As it neared the crack however, the head of a Kaiju rose up. It was Belphegor. Although it was injured from the blast, its silvery blue blood swirling in the water around it, it looked to be very much intact.

"Shit!" Eren clenched his teeth. "There's no way we can take it on right now," he said to Mikasa. "We've lost most of the function in our left leg, plus the cannon is going to be useless against it."

Mikasa considered her options, but knew there was only one.

"You have to ride it in," said Hanji from up on the LOCCENT. "That's the only way. Take a leap at it, secure yourselves, and ride it into the breach. From there, you detonate the nuclear reactor."

"That's crazy," breathed Eren, eyeing the Kaiju as it heaved itself out of the breach.

"It's also necessary," said Mikasa. "Are you ready?"

Eren nodded. "We're a good distance from Belphegor right now. If we get a bit of a running start, we can latch on pretty well."

"I've got that covered." Mikasa looked down at her right arm where the blade still stood out prominently against the darkness of the water.

Genesis Titan sunk into a position that would allow it to gain the most speed when it ran. As it picked up its pace, its pilots readied for liftoff. Belphegor tried to claw at the Yeager as it drew near, but the mech was too quick. Latching onto the Kaiju, Mikasa drove the blade through a fin on its back. Belphegor screeched and attempted to pry it off, but their combined weight toppled it and they fell backwards.

"Have a taste of this, you bastard!" Eren selected the Pulse Launcher situated in the nuclear reactor. The core lit up and burned through the thick outer skin of Belphegor, who reacted by repeatedly stabbing its triple tails at the spine of Genesis Titan.

"They're in!" Armin said breathlessly, slamming his hands on a surface devoid of papers. "Mikasa and Eren have made it to the breach!"

Levi relaxed and sat back down in his chair. "They're going to do it," he murmured.

Hanji put a hand on his shoulder, wanting to return the favour from when he comforted them. "Mikasa and Eren are going to complete the mission. You have nothing to worry about."

Levi angled his body away from Hanji.

Hanji pulled up a chair and sat with their friend. "You know, it's not _really_ goodbye. You can always find her again in a Drift. And that's the wonderful thing about it! The Drift, that is. A piece of her will always be with you, even if she's not."

Levi opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by Armin. "I've lost all visuals on them. They've sunk further than we can even see."

"They'll do this," said Hanji. "We've already lost Erwin, Marco, Ymir, and Christa. We can't lose again."

* * *

The breach reminded Eren eerily of the diagrams of the human esophagus he'd seen in his school textbooks. The structure, though slightly blurred through the glass of Genesis Titan, seemed to be a reddish-pink in colour and electrical currents flowed freely. Belphegor, finally killed through a combination of the burning Pulse Launcher and Mikasa's blade, let go of the Yeager. Its body drifted through the empty space of the breach.

Eren turned to his co-pilot. Mikasa looked pale and her stream of consciousness seemed to be fading. "You okay?"

Mikasa nodded, her eyes flickering. "Belphegor knocked out my oxygen," she wheezed, pointing to one of the HUD's. The screen depicting their oxygen levels had two bars and Mikasa's was steadily growing smaller at a startlingly fast rate. "I'll be fine. Let's just detonate this thing."

Eren nodded. Flipping through several options on the touch-activated HUD in front of him, he selected the one that would override the nuclear reactor and detonate Genesis Titan. However, when he pressed the button, it failed to comply.

He pressed at the icon again and looked at the screens around him, trying to see if there was a countdown anywhere. "What's wrong with it?" He growled, stabbing at the icon angrily.

_Manual Override required._

Mikasa pointed to the door behind them. "We have to override it from the generators. Hurry!"

Seeing his co-pilot in distress and sharing in her suffering that she had to endure from lack of oxygen, Eren made his decision. With an apologetic glance at Mikasa, he reached toward the dial that would raise Mikasa's rig toward the escape hatch and place her in one of the pods. She would then be ejected from the head of the Yeager and float toward the surface of the ocean, where helicopters would wait to bring her back to base.

Mikasa immediately grabbed Eren by the arm. "No," she said, her eyes glinting. "Either we do this together or not at all."

"You're going to die without oxygen!"

"I can't leave you alone," said Mikasa. "I made a promise." Unbuckling herself from the rig, she opened the door that led to the generators. "Coming?"

Eren unfastened the straps that locked him in and followed. The area leading to the generators was a tiny space and with the constant motion of the falling Yeager, it was difficult to navigate. Eren looked down at the whirring fan below him and gulped, feeling as if the slightest tilt would knock him into the spinning blades.

Mikasa, already dizzy from decreasing amounts of oxygen being pumped into her suit, faltered in her steps and would have fallen into the fan if it weren't for Eren. Heaving with exertion—the suit _was_ rather heavy—he lifted her out of harm's way, carrying her from underneath her arms. "Are you okay?" He yelled over the cacophony of humming machines.

She nodded. "Found it." Mikasa kept her words to a minimum to conserve her air. She wheezed unpleasantly as she tried to lift the heavy door. Eren knelt down and helped. Underneath lay a switchboard with several levels. Mikasa pulled all of them out, turned them counter-clockwise so that they were horizontal, and pushed them back in. The lights above the levers glowed a bright blue and a panel indicated that they had a mere two minutes to evacuate.

Sensing that his partner was growing weary, Eren slid Mikasa's arm onto his shoulder and half-carried her back to the Conn-Pod. Once he got her into the approximate position, he flicked the escape switch. As he settled into his own rig, he took one last look at the world outside him.

The throat was just about to open up to reveal the world of the Kaiju. Eren found himself wondering what Hanji would think of all of this and with a morbid chuckle, wondered if he should have waited a few more minutes to detonate the Yeager. Eren's rig, once he'd flicked the switch for his escape pod, rose up to the hatch and deposited him into the pod. The pods shot out the head of the Yeager just as the timer reached zero.

Outside the Yeager, curious Kaiju watched as a gigantic mech slowly righted itself with the aid of its burning nuclear reactor. The reactor grew brighter and brighter until finally, it detonated.

* * *

Armin watched with barely concealed joy as the hologram depicting the breach started to disintegrate. The bottom of the throat collapsed first, crumbling like dust until the entire structure broke down from the blast of Genesis Titan. Finally, the glowing green words "BREACH HAS COLLAPSED" flashed across the display, prompting Armin to raise his hands over his head with a strangled sort of yell.

Hanji rushed to his side. "They did it?" Seeing the display, their eyes widened, as did their smile. "They did it! They did it! Genesis Titan has destroyed the breach!"

Mission Control erupted in a chorus of cheers. People hugged one another, some crying and others motionless with shock and elation. Jean uncharacteristically broke down in tears and Reiner and Bert—who'd been standing by his side, completely silent—wrapped their arms around him in a group hug.

Hanji angled the microphone to their face and spoke to the audience outside. "Genesis Titan has detonated. The breach is sealed. Stop the clock!"

Outside, it was utter _chaos_ , the likes of which humanity hadn't seen in a long time. People were crying, people were cheering, people were throwing hats and kisses. _Finally_. Finally, humanity had made their stand against the monsters that tried to destroy them and it worked. After all that effort, humanity had prevailed.

The clock hanging over the hangar entrance stopped and reset all the way back to zero. This was the last time it would ever be used.

"This is something for the history books," said Hanji proudly. "Today is the day we faced the apocalypse and came out on top." Armin nodded, feeling rather weak and like he needed an entire day to just recover.

"Armin?" Annie had to yell over the commotion.

"Annie." Armin stood up and rushed toward her. As he grew nearer, he opened his arms and she stepped into them. "We won, Annie. We finally won."

Curling her fingers around his upper arm, Annie relaxed into his embrace. "We did it," she whispered. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open. "Are there any survivors?"

Armin took her by the hand, leading her to the heads-up display. "I've tracked the pods," he said. "They haven't surfaced yet."

Annie lowered her eyes. "That means—"

"There's still hope!" Argued Armin. "Just because they haven't shown up on the display doesn't mean they're not there. Sometimes, they just don't register for whatever reason."

"There they are," said Levi. Keeping his distance from his colleagues, who'd somehow conjured a bottle of champagne and were passing it around like teenagers at a party, he sat still in his chair, watching the screen with vigilant eyes. "Those are the pods. They just surfaced."

"Send the helicopters! Send them! Now!"

* * *

Mikasa's pod broke the surface of the water first. However, the mission had finally taken its toll on her and her exhaustion was the only thing preventing her from climbing out and searching for Eren. It was nice, she thought, to just lay here and feel the waves. It was nice to not have to worry about anything.

She stayed like that until Eren manually opened her pod. "Mikasa!" He said, his hair dripping with seawater. The boy had probably swam from his pod to her own. "Mikasa?" Sliding his hands underneath her body, he lifted her up, cradling her head. "Mikasa!" His voice grew panicked. He lay her body back down and put his ear to her chest, checking for heartbeat. However, it was nigh-impossible to listen for the faint beating beneath the thick armour of the drivesuit.

He yanked off her helmet and pulling down the neck of the suit, he put his fingers to the side of her neck. Her pulse was there; weak, but there. Eren tilted her head back and prepared himself to administer mouth-to-mouth restitution. He leaned in closer and closer; their noses were almost brushing when Mikasa's eyes finally flickered open. Reaching out to her, Eren enveloped her in a tight hug. "We did it," he whispered into her hair. "We killed the Kaiju."

Mikasa weakly patted the back of Eren's head. "We did." She rested her cheek against the side of Eren's neck and sighed. "We killed them all." She felt Eren's tears—or maybe it was the seawater—drip down her own neck as he buried his head in her hair.

The two remained in this position until the helicopters came.


	13. Epilogue

Upon a grassy knoll stood the Yeager Monument, a massive slab of polished black marble that served as a testament to humanity's victory against the Kaiju. There were no names engraved on the tablet. Levi had insisted that nobody should be singled out, not even the Yeager pilots who'd given up their lives because it was due to the efforts of everybody that their war was won.

Mikasa walked with the survivors of the Yeager Program on the day that the monument was revealed to the public. Clad in uniform, she observed the procession. Her eyes flickered over to Levi whose mouth was set in a grim line as he watched the last remaining Mark I pilot, a veteran named Dot Pixis, carry a portrait of Erwin Smith. There were no body, so no coffin.

She felt a touch at her elbow. It was time. Standing up, she joined Jean, Eren, Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt as they brought up portraits of Marco, Christa, and Ymir. The walk from the entrance of the park to the monument seemed endless and Mikasa could feel sweat dripping down the back of her neck. As they reached the Yeager Monument, they set down the frames, propping them by the bottom. The people who hadn't carried the pictures placed flowers down.

Mikasa stood with her peers as they saluted the dearly departed. Looking over at Jean, she saw the man with his head down, trying hard not to cry. Reaching out to him, she took his hand in her own and squeezed. Annie Leonhardt, standing on Mikasa's left side, grasped her other hand. Annie reached out to Reiner who in turn, reached out to Bertholdt and he too, took Eren's hand.

There were several books written about the fall of the Kaiju and nearly every single one of them featured that same striking image; Yeager pilots staring up at the austere black of the almost-tombstone as they held hands.

It was a symbol of hope.

* * *

A knock sounded at her door. Mikasa put her thick novel down and headed over to answer it, but not before casting a quick glance through the tiny peephole. "Hi Annie."

The other woman stepped inside Mikasa and Levi's shared apartment and thrust a box of cake into her hands.

"What's this for?"

"You babysat last night. I'd return the favour, but you don't have any kids."

Mikasa shrugged. "Levi and I are still discussing it. We don't even know if I'm able to conceive. The Yeagers…" She trailed off, knowing that infertility was a bit of a sore subject for Annie.

"It's okay," said Annie, following Mikasa into the kitchen. She made herself comfortable in one of the barstools by the kitchen counter while Mikasa rummaged through her drawers for cutlery. Their friendship had progressed to the point where they felt completely at ease eating off the same plate. "I've always sort of known that I wouldn't be able to have kids. Actually, it's sort of a good thing, to be honest."

"Armin doesn't seem to mind."

Annie scoffed. "Armin never seems to mind anything. He's just happy that we can find homes for the orphaned children who lost their parents in the war."

Mikasa emerged from her pantry with a set of plastic forks.

"Plastic?"

Mikasa motioned to the sink with her head. "Levi's out and I don't want him to harp on me for not doing the dishes. Easier to just throw stuff out."

Annie took one of the utensils from Mikasa and speared a strawberry that decorated the top of her slice of chocolate cake. "Anyways, Armin's thinking of adopting another."

"Another kid?" Mikasa pulled a slice of coffee cake toward her. "Wouldn't four be too many for the two of you?"

Annie stabbed at her dessert viciously. "He said Reiner and Bert are managing five just fine."

"Reiner probably loves kids more than kids love kids," reasoned Mikasa. "I always thought that if he didn't join the program, he would have become a schoolteacher."

"He considered it at one point," said Annie. "How's Levi by the way?"

This time, it was Mikasa's turn to scowl. "Eren's convinced him to join what's left of the Yeager program. I hardly see either of them anymore."

"There isn't even anything left of the Program."

"Erwin," a moment of silence, "left it to Jean, surprisingly. I never knew they were that close. And now Jean wants to branch out with the Drift technology and maybe use the Yeagers for marine exploration. I mean, now that we've seen monsters rise from the ocean once, we want to make sure it doesn't happen again."

"So that's what they're doing?" Annie said through a mouthful of pastry. "Patching up old Yeagers?"

"Hanji's still working with the Kaiju samples. Jean wants to explore the ocean floor using what's left of Armoured Omen. He's been thinking of refurbishing it using parts from Striker Angel as well."

"Who's going to pilot?"

Mikasa shifted uncomfortably. "I may or may not have volunteered my services."

Annie blinked, not at all surprised that Mikasa did so. "But, Armoured Omen has three arms."

"And there are three pilots. Eren, Jean, and myself."

"Are you all Drift compatible? In the Academy, it was tough finding two pilots, let alone three."

"Tea?" Mikasa stood up from her chair and opened one of the stainless steel canisters dotting the counter. Annie nodded. Mikasa took a blue teapot out from a cupboard and plugged in the kettle to boil water. "Strangely, we are. I mean, we'll never achieve your level of Drift compatibility with Reiner and Bert, but it's not like we need to fight anything. We're just walking around, so I guess our compatibility is enough for that. We'll need to be doing a lot of training though." Mikasa poured the boiling water into the teapot and plopped a cosy on top.

"Well, at least you've found something to do." Annie walked over to the fridge, pulling out milk. "Armin's found his calling, too."

"Really?" Mikasa blew the steam curling off the hot liquid and gratefully took the milk from Annie. "What's that?"

"He's going to write a book. About us."

"Us?"

"Not really us. About the Program. I mean, he knows about it more than anyone. He's already started writing. Knowing him, I think he'll be done within the month."

"Is that why I haven't seen him in almost two weeks?" Mikasa was referring to their weekly get-togethers. The surviving pilots had promised that no matter what, they'd all meet at least once a week. It was comforting, knowing that you weren't the only one who had to endure the strain of being the only thing that stood between life and certain death.

"Probably," said Annie. "He misses you and Eren, though. Eren should visit more."

"He's busy."

"Does he have a girlfriend or something?"

"Work is his wife, now. I hardly see him. I think Levi sees him more than I do. I've only been down to the Shatterdome a couple of times to test for compatibility. Jean said he'd call me when they need me. Otherwise, I just hang out with you." Mikasa looked into the cake box and pulled out an éclair. "You want this?" Annie shook her head.

"You make it sound like I'm terrible company."

"You're not," insisted Mikasa, who'd grown closer to the other woman after the war and found that they had a lot more in common than they originally thought. In a strange way, she considered Annie her best friend and confidante.

"Good," said Annie. "You're not terrible company, either."

Mikasa hummed happily, picking the chocolate shavings off her pastry.

* * *

"I'm home!"

Mikasa only heard the faint murmur of his voice, too engrossed in her music. As she put the weights back on the rack, she turned to face the door and smiled. "You're early."

Levi hung his coat up, placing his shoes neatly beside it. "The brats decided to go out drinking. Yeager wanted to pick up some chicks."

Mikasa would have hugged him, if not for the fact that she was dripping with sweat. "There're leftovers in the fridge, if you want. There's also ice cream in the freeze if you're too lazy to heat anything up."

To her surprise, Levi walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on her back. "I'm tired."

"Go to sleep."

"I'm filthy."

"Shower."

Levi practically dragged her to the couch and when she sat down, he lay with his head in her lap. "I'll sleep here."

" _I'm_ filthy."

"You're probably still cleaner than me," he argued. "Shitty glasses made me help them with their samples. I was elbows-deep in guts for hours."

Mikasa idly wondered if Levi was exaggerating, but knowing Hanji, he probably wasn't. Running a hand through his hair, she recalled the conversation she had with Annie earlier that afternoon. "Do you want kids?" She said after a beat of silence.

Levi looked up at her and blinked solemnly. "Why? Are you pregnant?"

"No. I don't even know if I can get pregnant. I'm just wondering." Mikasa brushed Levi's bangs away from his face. "A lot of our friends adopted kids."

"Do you want kids?"

"It would be…" Mikasa thought of the times she babysat for Armin and Annie. "I think it might be nice."

"Messy."

"We would teach them not to be messy." Mikasa poked Levi's cheek with the tip of her index finger. "And if you ever pissed me off, I'd let them draw on the walls with crayons."

Levi sat up, allowing Mikasa to lean into him. Draping an arm around her, he rested his head in the junction between her neck and shoulder. "Let's wait a bit."

Mikasa sighed and took one of his hands in her own. "The Program?"

"We're going to be very busy soon. I'll be directing it and you'll be a pilot. If we wait a bit for things to settle, then we can think about kids."

"We'll wait," agreed Mikasa. "There's no rush. We have all the time in the world."

* * *

**Excerpt from** _**BEGINNINGS: THE UNOFFICIAL HISTORY OF THE YEAGER PROGRAM** _

Commander Erwin Smith once said that it was because of humanity's trust and belief in one another that we were able to successfully defeat the Kaiju. He attributed our victory to not a handful of people who volunteered to pilot the Yeagers, but to every single member of the human race who wanted the Kaiju gone.

Humanity's triumph over these beasts is not solely due to the Yeager pilots. For the first time, humankind stood as one and we united. Commander Smith was absolutely right when he said that only as a team could we ever hope to put an end to our impending apocalypse.

And we have done so. We've closed the breach, stopped the Kaiju from ravaging our world and in doing so, we were finally able to stop our war clock. But, what now?

Now, the Yeager Program—the project started by the famed Grisha Yeager for the purpose of combatting the Kaiju—will come to an end. In its place will be the new Yeager Exploration Corps, devoted to finding undersea life that had been hidden from us during the long years of invasion. Led by Jean Kirstein and Hanji Zoe, this new program will also strive to protect marine organisms that had been negatively impacted by the introduction of toxic Kaiju blue (see: chapter two) into their environment. The last Shatterdome in Trost will remain standing and become the headquarters for the Yeager Exploration Corps, as well as a center of knowledge for research into the Drift technology.

As for the rest of humanity? We'll persist. We'll build. Life goes on; it always does. The fact that we've made it through this ordeal only proves that we can endure and we will endure. The Kaiju may have served as a grim reminder to humankind that alone, we're not that big or strong, but together, we can overcome even the most powerful of monsters.

 **Armin Arlert** was once employed by Yeager Program, serving under Commander Erwin Smith as the Trost Shatterdome Technician. Now a member of the Yeager Exploration Corps, he works closely with Jean Kirstein and Hanji Zoe in the hopes of discovering new aquatic life. Armin lives with his partner, retired Yeager pilot Annie Leonhardt, and their three adopted children in Trost.


End file.
